genet
English
WOTD – 8 January 2012
Etymology 1
From Middle English genet, ionet, from Anglo-Norman genette, Middle French genette, jenette et al., of uncertain origin.
Noun
genet (countable and uncountable, plural genets)
- Any of several Old World nocturnal, carnivorous mammals, of the genus Genetta in the family Viverridae, most of which have a spotted coat and a long, ringed tail.
- The fur of this mammal, or any skin dressed in imitation of it.
Derived terms
- common genet (Genetta genetta)
- Abyssinian genet (Genetta abyssinica)
- Angolan genet (Genetta angolensis)
- aquatic genet (Genetta piscivora)
- Bourlon's genet (Genetta bourlonii)
- Cape genet (Genetta tigrina)
- Ethiopian genet (Genetta abyssinica)
- European genet (Genetta genetta)
- giant genet, giant forest genet (Genetta victoriae)
- Haussa genet (Genetta thierryi)
- Johnston's genet (Genetta johnstoni)
- king genet (Genetta poensis)
- large-spotted genet (Genetta tigrina)
- miombo genet (Genetta angolensis)
- panther genet (Genetta maculata)
- pardine genet (Genetta pardina)
- rusty-spotted genet (Genetta maculata)
- servaline genet (Genetta servalina)
- small-spotted genet (Genetta genetta)
Translations
mammal of the genus Genetta
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Noun
genet (plural genets)
- (biology) A group of genetically identical individuals (plants, fungi, bacteria etc.) that have grown in a given location, all originating from asexual reproduction of a single ancestor; a group of ramets.
Translations
Etymology 3
See jennet.
Noun
genet (plural genets)
- A small-sized, well-proportioned, Spanish horse; a jennet.
- c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], lines 109-113:
- Because we come to do you service and you think we are ruffians, you’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse. You’ll have your nephews neigh to you. You’ll have coursers for cousins and gennets for germans.
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Andalusian Arabic زَنَاتِي (zanáti), the tribe of the Zenata Berbers, exceptional horsemen. Cfr zenete, jinete.
Further reading
- “genet” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
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