suricate

[ soor-i-keyt ]

noun

1. a small, burrowing South African carnivore, Suricata suricatta, of a grayish color with dark bands across the back, related to the mongooses and having social behavior similar to that of prairie dogs.

suricate

/ ˈsjʊərɪˌkeɪt /

noun

1. the slender-tailed meerkat See meerkat

Word History and Origins

Origin of suricate¹

1775–85; earlier surikate < French < Dutch surikat macaque

Word History and Origins

Origin of suricate¹

C18: from French surikate, probably from a native South African word

Example Sentences

One species only is known, the meerkat or suricate, S. tetradactyla, a small grey-brown animal, with dark transverse stripes on the hinder part of the back, from South Africa.

From Project Gutenberg