Mangust
/ˈmæŋɡʌst/noun
An obsolete or dialectal English name for a mongoose.
Did you know?The word’s ancestry is linked to South Asian names such as Marathi mungūs, but the deeper Dravidian source remains uncertain—an unusually mysterious trail for a familiar animal.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
mangust
“An early English form referring to the mongoose”
17th Century
English
mangust
“A variant name for the mongoose, alongside forms such as mungoose”
17th Century
English
mungoose
“A mongoose; an English rendering of a South Asian animal-name”
18th Century
English
mongoose
“The form that became standard in English”
Modern English
English
mongoose
“A small carnivorous mammal of the family Herpestidae, known for hunting snakes”