Main Entry: meer·kat

Pronunciation: \ˈmir-ˌkat\

Function: noun

Etymology: Afrikaans, from Dutch, a kind of monkey, from Middle Dutch meercatte monkey, from meer sea + catte cat

Date: 1801

: any of several African mongooses; especially : a burrowing highly social primarily insectivorous mammal (Suricata suricatta) of southern Africa that is chiefly grayish with faint black markings and lives in usually large colonies

[meerkat illustration]