Mongooses
/ˈmɒŋ.ɡuː.sɪz/noun
The plural of mongoose, referring to small carnivorous mammals known for hunting snakes.
Did you know?The word entered English through South Asian languages, including Marathi and Telugu, but scholars cannot securely identify its ultimate Dravidian root.
Etymological Timeline
Before the 17th Century
Dravidian languages
mangisu / mungusi
“Regional South Asian names for the mongoose; the deeper origin is uncertain.”
17th Century
Marathi
mūṅgūs
“The name of the mongoose, a snake-killing mammal.”
Late 17th Century
English
mongoose
“A borrowed name for the South Asian animal, first recorded in English around the 1690s.”
18th Century
English
mangouste
“An older English form influenced by French and other European spellings.”
Modern English
English
mongooses
“The regular English plural of mongoose; “mongeese” also occurs as an irregular humorous or variant plural.”