cacomistle

[ kak-uh-mis-uhl ]

/ ˈkæk əˌmɪs əl /

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noun

Also cac·o·mix·le

[kak-uh-mis-uhl, -mik-suhl]. /ˈkæk əˌmɪs əl, -ˌmɪk səl/. Also called bassarisk, ringtail, coon cat. a carnivorous animal, Bassariscus astutus, of Mexico and the southwestern U.S., related to the raccoon but smaller, with a sharper snout and longer tail.

civet cat.

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Origin of cacomistle

1865–70, Americanism;<Mexican Spanish cacomiztle, cacomixtle<Nahuatl tlahcomiztli, equivalent to tlahco- half, middle + miztli cougar

Words nearby cacomistle

cacoepy, cacoëthes, cacogenics, cacography, cacology, cacomistle, caconym, cacophonous, cacophony, cacqueteuse, cactaceous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cacomistle in a sentence

Sometimes a stuffed recamúchi (cacomistle, bassariscus) is used either in the place of a straw-man or in addition to it.
Unknown Mexico, Volume 1 (of 2)|Carl Lumholtz

British Dictionary definitions for cacomistle

cacomistle

cacomixle (ˈkækəˌmɪksəl)

/ (ˈkækəˌmɪsəl) /

noun

a catlike omnivorous mammal, Bassariscus astutus, of S North America, related to but smaller than the raccoons: family Procyonidae, order Carnivora (carnivores). It has yellowish-grey fur and a long bushy tail banded in black and white

a related smaller animal, Jentinkia (or Bassariscus) sumichrasti, of Central America

Word Origin for cacomistle

C19: from Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl tlacomiztli, from tlaco half + miztli cougar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012