Catamount

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkætÉ™maÊŠnt/

Origin

Shortened from catamountain, from cat o' mountain, cat of the mountain.

Full definition of catamount

Noun

1. A wild animal of the family Felidae, especially cougar, puma or lynx.
• 1610, , by William Shakespeare, act 4 scene 1Go, charge my goblins that they grind their jointsWith dry convulsions; shorten up their sinewsWith aged cramps, and more pinch-spotted make themThan pard, or cat o' mountain.
• 1920, Peter B. Kyne, The Understanding Heart, Chapter VIIIUncle Charley's voice was very soft and there was a weary note in it. “Great snarlin' catamounts, but I'm tired.”