Yaguarundi
/ˌjɑːɡwəˈrʌndi/noun
A small, slender wild cat native to the Americas, related to the puma.
Did you know?Yaguarundi entered English through Spanish, and its deeper roots are often traced to Tupi-Guarani forms for a wild cat, showing how native American animal names survived conquest and crossed into global zoology.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian
Tupi-Guarani
yaguarundí / jaguarándy (reconstructed forms)
“A small wild cat or related feline in Indigenous naming traditions”
16th Century
Spanish
yaguarundí
“Name applied by Spanish speakers to the small American wild cat”
18th–19th Century
Scientific Latin / Natural History English
Felis yagouaroundi
“Scientific zoological name for the species”
Modern English
English
yaguarundi
“A small, long-bodied wild cat of Central and South America”