mongoose
/ˈmɒŋ.ɡuːs//ˈmɑŋ.ɡus/
mongoose noun: any of several species of generalist predatory carnivores in the family Herpestidae; the various species range in size from rats to large cats. Indian mongooses are predators of venomous snakes, though other mongoose species have similar habits.
Noun
mongoose (plural mongooses or (hypercorrect, nonstandard) mongeese)
- Any of several species of generalist predatory carnivores in the family Herpestidae; the various species range in size from rats to large cats. Indian mongooses are predators of venomous snakes, though other mongoose species have similar habits.
- After the mongoose had satisfied its appetite, we proceeded to examine with a pocket lens the wounds he had received from the cobra; and on cleansing one of these places, the lens disclosed the broken fang of the cobra deeply imbedded in the head of the mongoose... We have had the mongoose confined...1864, John Holmes Agnew et al., The Eclectic Magazine: Foreign Literature
- He was a mongoose, rather like a little cat in his fur and his tail, but quite like a weasel in his head and his habits.1924, Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book:Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
- Synonyms:
- herpestid
- Any members of family Eupleridae of Malagasy mongooses, only distantly related to the Herpestidae, but resembling them in appearance and habits, with larger ears and ringed tails.
mongoose meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
mongoose in Hindi
- small carnivore of the family Herpestidae
- नेवला nevlā
mongoose in Tamil
- small carnivore of the family Herpestidae
- கீரி kīri, கீரிப்பிள்ளை kīrippiḷḷai
mongoose in Marathi
- small carnivore of the family Herpestidae
- मुंगूस muṅgūs
mongoose in Urdu
- نیولا
More languagesFewer languages
- mongoose in Bengali
- নেউল neul
- mongoose in Telugu
- ముంగిస muṅgisa
- mongoose in Malayalam
- കീരി kīri
- mongoose in Kannada
- ಮುಂಗುಸಿ muṅgusi
- mongoose in Punjabi
- ਨਿਓਲਾ niolā
- mongoose in Gujarati
- નોળિયો noḷiyo
- mongoose in Sanskrit
- नकुल nakulá
- mongoose in Assamese
- নেউল neul
- mongoose in Nepali
- न्याउरी nyāurī
- mongoose in Pashto
- نولی nolē
- mongoose in Arabic
- نِمْس nims
- mongoose in Malay
- cerpelai, bambun
- mongoose in Indonesian
- garangan, cerpelai
- mongoose in Persian
- خدنگ xadang
- mongoose in Thai
- พังพอน pang-pɔɔn
- mongoose in Myanmar
- မြွေပါ mrwepa
- Kashmiri
- نوٗل nūl
Examples of mongoose in a sentence
- We have had the mongoose confined ever since (now four days' time), and it is as healthy and lively as ever.1864, John Holmes Agnew et al., The Eclectic Magazine: Foreign Literature:
- To unsuspecting eyes these mongoose relatives can seem eminently pettable.2008 June 20, Edward Rothstein, “Critters of a Wondrous Isle, Meet Your Friend and Foe”, in The New York Times, archived from the original...
Synonyms of mongoose
Forms of mongoose
| plural | mongooses |
|---|---|
| plural hypercorrect (nonstandard) | mongeese |
| alternative form (archaic) | mungoose |
Origin of mongoose
First attested in the 1690s. Borrowed from Portuguese manguço, from Marathi मुंगूस (muṅgūs), from Old Marathi 𑘦𑘳𑘽𑘐𑘳𑘭 (muṃgusa). Ultimately a Dravidian borrowing (compare Telugu ముంగిస (muṅgisa)), from Proto-Dravidian *mūnkūc- (“mongoose”). Spelling altered by folk-etymological association with goose. Displaced native Old English nǣderbita (literally “snake biter”).
Words formed from mongoose
- African mongoose
- Angolan slender mongoose
- banded mongoose
- Bengal mongoose
- black-footed mongoose
- black-legged mongoose
- black mongoose
- brown-tailed mongoose
- bushy-tailed mongoose
- Cape gray mongoose
- collared mongoose
- common dwarf mongoose
- common mongoose
- common slender mongoose
- crab-eating mongoose
- dwarf mongoose
- Egyptian mongoose
- Ethiopian dwarf mongoose
- Gambian mongoose
- Grandidier's mongoose
- Indian brown mongoose
- Indian gray mongoose/Indian mongoose
- Jackson's mongoose
- Javan mongoose
- large gray mongoose
- Liberian mongoose
- long-nosed mongoose
- mad as a mongoose
- Malagasy mongoose
- marsh mongoose
- Meller's mongoose
- mongoose bat
- mongoose lemur
- narrow-striped mongoose
- Pousargues's mongoose
- ring-tailed mongoose
- ruddy mongoose
- Selous's mongoose
- short-tailed mongoose
- slender mongoose
- small Indian mongoose
- Sokoke dog mongoose
- stripe-necked mongoose
- Somalian slender mongoose
- white-tailed mongoose
- yellow mongoose
- zebra mongoose
Phrases with mongoose
Questions about mongoose
- What does mongoose mean?
- Mongoose means any of several species of generalist predatory carnivores in the family Herpestidae; the various species range in size from rats to large cats. Indian mongooses are predators of venomous snakes, though other mongoose species have similar habits.
- What is mongoose in Hindi?
- Mongoose in Hindi is नेवला (nevlā). See Mongoose meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use mongoose in a sentence?
- We have had the mongoose confined ever since (now four days' time), and it is as healthy and lively as ever.
- What part of speech is mongoose?
- Mongoose is a noun.
- How do you pronounce mongoose?
- Mongoose is pronounced /ˈmɒŋ.ɡuːs/ (UK).
- What is the plural of mongoose?
- The plural of mongoose is mongooses.
Words near mongoose in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: mongoose (page history and authors); mongoose (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); নেউল (Bengali) (page history and authors); ಮುಂಗುಸಿ (Kannada) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-mongoose.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-mongoose.wav.
Cite this entry: “mongoose.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/mongoose. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.