suricate
/sy.ʁi.kat/masculine
The English word meerkat is translated into French as suricate.
The term refers to the small carnivorous mammal known as a meerkat.
Meaning: small carnivorous mammal (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
suricate is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/sy.ʁi.kat/. It has 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- The French term suricate is actually based on a geographic mistake. The naturalist Buffon coined the name under the false impression that these animals originated in Suriname.
- While suricate is the standard term in French, the animal is a member of the mongoose family, not the cat family, despite the word's roots in the Dutch word kat for 'cat'.
Examples in context
- J'ai vu un suricate.I saw a meerkat.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of suricate.Tatoeba #8954767 by Rafik, translation #12966311 by araneo
- J'ai récemment regardé un documentaire sur les suricates.I recently watched a documentary about meerkats.
- Les suricates sont connus pour leur organisation sociale complexe.Meerkats are known for their complex social organization.
- Regarde ce petit suricate, il est tellement mignon!Look at this little meerkat, it's so cute!
- J'ai vu un suricat au zoo aujourd'hui. C'était incroyable!I saw a meerkat at the zoo today. It was amazing!
- Le suricate est très social.The meerkat is very social.
- Regarde ce petit suricate dans la savane.Look at that little meerkat in the savanna.
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are watching a nature documentary.
- LucasEst-ce qu'il y a un suricate sur l'écran ?Is there a meerkat on the screen?
- ManonOui, il surveille ses amis.Yes, he is watching over his friends.
- LucasIl est vraiment mignon, ce suricate.This meerkat is really cute.
- ManonC'est vrai, il est adorable.It's true, he is adorable.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “meerkat” translations and entries suricate, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries suricate, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
