| 释义 |
▪ I. serval|ˈsɜːvəl|
Also serval cat.
[a. mod.L. serval, F. serval (Buffon, 1765), a. Pg. (lobo) cerval lynx (cf. F. loup-cervier).]
†a. A name applied (after Buffon) to some Asiatic wild cat or lynx; also to an American animal resembling this. Obs.
b. A carnivorous quadruped, Felis serval, native of S. Africa, having a tawny coat spotted with black, a short tail and large ears; the bush-cat (bush n.1 11).
1771Pennant Syn. Quadrupeds 186 Called by the natives of Malabar, the Maraputé; by the Portuguese, the Serval. 1800Shaw Gen. Zool. I. 369 The Serval is a native of India and Tibet and is an extremely fierce and rapacious animal. Ibid. 370 American Serval..inhabits North America..is considered as a mild and gentle animal. 1865Lubbock Prehist. Times viii. 262 In the Genista Cave at Gibraltar..[they] have discovered..the leopard, lynx, serval [etc.]. 1899F. V. Kirby Sport E.C. Africa 321 The serval is a tireless hunter, and runs down its prey. 1919F. W. Fitzsimons Nat. Hist. S. Afr.: Mammals I. 142 These Serval Cats often break cover. 1933N. Douglas Looking Back II. 340 Somebody shot a serval cat.
▪ II. serval
obs. Sc. form of servile. |