a small wildcat (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) of tropical and subtropical America, with a slender body and a long tail
: also sp. ˌjaguaˈrondi
Word origin
AmSp & Port < Tupí
jaguarundi in American English
(ˌdʒɑːɡwəˈrʌndi, -ɡjuːə-, ˌdʒæɡwə-, -juːə-)
nounWord forms: plural-dis
a long-bodied and long-tailed tropical wildcat, Felis yagouaroundi, having a brownish-gray coat and a second color phase of reddish-brown: now reduced in number and endangered in some areas
Word origin
[1880–85; ‹ Pg ‹ Guarani jaguarundy wildcat]This word is first recorded in the period 1880–85. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Chief of Staff, highball, impressionism, irredentist, regionalism