Jaguarundi
/ˌdʒæɡ.wəˈrʌn.di/noun
A small, long-bodied wild cat native to the Americas, related to the puma.
Did you know?Jaguarundi is a colonial-era loanword from Indigenous American languages, and its exact source is uncertain, which is a reminder that not every powerful name leaves a neat paper trail.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Indigenous American
unknown source form
“A local name for a small wild cat in the Americas”
16th-17th Century
Spanish
jaguarundi
“A borrowed name recorded by Spanish speakers for the animal”
19th Century
English
jaguarundi
“An English zoological term for the same cat”
Modern English
English
jaguarundi
“The common English name of the species Puma yagouaroundi”