chaus

noun

ˈkau̇s,

ˈch-

plural chaus

: an Old World wildcat, possibly the African wildcat or jungle cat

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, going back to Latin, assumed nominative of an accusative form chaum, medieval and early modern reading of a word in manuscripts of Pliny's Historia naturalis (now usually read as chama, nominative, denoting a lynx-like animal, of unknown origin)

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