civet cat
noun
1
2
3
: any of several small spotted skunks (genus Spilogale) of western North America
Examples of civet cat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It is thought to have originated in an animal population, perhaps bats, before being passed to civet cats—a tropical animal that looks like a mix of a dog and an ocelot—then to people.
—
Byerin Prater, Fortune Well, 10 Nov. 2023
These wet markets facilitated the emergence of SARS-CoV-1 in bats, civet cats, and humans in 2002 and, some speculate, the novel coronavirus in 2019.
—Sonia Shah, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2020
In the case of this virus, the civet cat was an unwitting intermediate host of a viral spillover from bats that made the transition to humans.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2011
However, recent research has implicated bats of the genus Rhinolophus as the natural, unaffected reservoir of the SARS virus, not the civet cat (7).
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2011
See all Example Sentences for civet cat 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Byerin Prater, Fortune Well, 10 Nov. 2023
These wet markets facilitated the emergence of SARS-CoV-1 in bats, civet cats, and humans in 2002 and, some speculate, the novel coronavirus in 2019.
—Sonia Shah, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2020
In the case of this virus, the civet cat was an unwitting intermediate host of a viral spillover from bats that made the transition to humans.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2011
However, recent research has implicated bats of the genus Rhinolophus as the natural, unaffected reservoir of the SARS virus, not the civet cat (7).
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2011
See all Example Sentences for civet cat
Dictionary Entries Near civet cat
Cite this Entry
“Civet cat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civet%20cat. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share