palm civet

noun

1. any of various small to medium-sized, chiefly arboreal cats of the civet family, of southeastern Asia, the East Indies, etc., with a spotted or striped coat and a long curled tail.

palm civet

noun

1. any of various small civet-like arboreal viverrine mammals of the genera Paradoxurus, Hemigalus, etc, of Africa and S and SE Asia

Word History and Origins

Origin of palm civet¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

The samples from the stall that contained the coronavirus also contained DNA from a variety of animals, including dogs, rabbits, hoary bamboo rats, Malayan porcupines and masked palm civets.

From Los Angeles Times

Other animals identified as a potential source of the pandemic were the masked palm civet, which was also associated with the Sars outbreak in 2003, as well as hoary bamboo rats and Malayan porcupines.

From BBC

The offerings included raccoon dogs, masked palm civets and Malayan porcupines.

From New York Times

Additionally, the report’s authors found genetic material from Amur hedgehogs, Malayan porcupines, masked palm civets, Siberian weasels, hoary bamboo rats and other animals.

From Scientific American

In early 2003, the government temporarily banned all wild animal sales after the outbreak of SARS, which studies indicate moved from bats to humans via palm civets, a mainstay of the meat trade.

From Science Magazine