catamount
UK[ˈkætəmaʊnt]US[ˈkætəˌmaʊnt]
n
A wild animal of the cat family, especially a cougar or lynx.
Morpheme Breakdown
cat
a
mount
cat
a
mount
Etymology
The word 'catamount' is a contraction of the earlier phrase 'cat of the mountain'. It originated in the 17th century, directly from the English words 'cat' and 'mountain', linked by the preposition 'of' which was reduced to 'a'. The term 'cat of the mountain' was a descriptive name for large, elusive wild cats, particularly the cougar or puma, which were known to inhabit mountainous regions. Over time, this descriptive compound was shortened and lexicalized into the single word 'catamount', preserving its literal meaning of a mountain-dwelling feline predator.
Analysis
Structure: cat + a + mount
- cat (Middle English, from Old English 'catt', from Late Latin 'cattus'): Denotes an animal of the cat family.
- a (Middle English, from Old English 'an'): A reduced form of the preposition 'on', meaning 'of' or 'on'.
- mount (Middle English, from Old English 'munt', from Latin 'mons'): Denotes a mountain or hill.
Examples
The old trapper claimed he saw a catamount in the remote hills.
Legends of the elusive catamount have persisted in Appalachian folklore for generations.
Wildlife biologists are studying the potential return of the catamount to its former eastern range.