Definitions
agile grizzled Old World viverrine; preys on snakes and rodents
Word origin
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”).
Used in a sentence
“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.”
“To unsuspecting eyes these mongoose relatives can seem eminently pettable.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“snake hunter”8 letters
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