civet

[ siv-it ]
See synonyms for civet on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a yellowish, unctuous substance with a strong musklike odor, obtained from a pouch in the genital region of civets and used in perfumery.

  2. any catlike, carnivorous mammal of the subfamily Viverrinae, chiefly of southern Asia and Africa, having a coarse-haired, spotted coat, rounded ears, and a narrow muzzle.

  1. any of various related or similar animals, as the palm civet.

Origin of civet

1
1525–35; <Middle French civette<Catalan civetta ≪ Arabic zabād civet perfume; see zibet

Other words from civet

  • civ·et·like, adjective

Words Nearby civet

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How to use civet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for civet

civet

/ (ˈsɪvɪt) /


noun
  1. any catlike viverrine mammal of the genus Viverra and related genera, of Africa and S Asia, typically having blotched or spotted fur and secreting a powerfully smelling fluid from anal glands

  2. the yellowish fatty secretion of such an animal, used as a fixative in the manufacture of perfumes

  1. the fur of such an animal

  2. short for palm civet

Origin of civet

1
C16: from Old French civette, from Italian zibetto, from Arabic zabād civet perfume

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012