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Fossa

//ˈfɑsə// noun

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A pit, groove, cavity, or depression.
  2. 2
    A large nocturnal reddish-brown catlike mammal (Cryptoprocta ferox) of the civet family, endemic to the rainforests of Madagascar. It is slender, long-tailed and has retractile claws and anal scent glands.
  3. 3
    largest carnivore of Madagascar; intermediate in some respects between cats and civets wordnet
  4. 4
    A long, narrow, shallow depression on the body of an extraterrestrial body, such as a planet or moon.
  5. 5
    a concavity in a surface (especially an anatomical depression) wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

Unadapted borrowing from Latin fossa (“a ditch, trench, fosse”). Doublet of fosse.

Etymology 2

[Alt: Cryptoprocta ferox Borrowing from Malagasy fosa which likely once referred to the Malayan weasel (Mustela nudipes) prior to a semantic shift, thus cognate with Malay pusak and Tagalog pusa both meaning "cat".

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