Trends ofichneumon
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ichneumon in British English
(ɪkˈnjuːmən)
noun
a mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon, of Africa and S Europe, having greyish-brown speckled fur
Word origin
C16: via Latin from Greek, literally: tracker, hunter, from ikhneuein to track, from ikhnos a footprint; so named from the animal's alleged ability to locate the eggs of crocodilesichneumon in American English
(ɪkˈnumən; ɪkˈnjumən)
noun
1.
the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon)
2.
ichneumon fly
Word origin
L < Gr ichneumōn, ichneumon, lit., tracker < ichneuein, to track out, hunt after < ichnos, a track, footprint (from its supposed practice of locating and destroying crocodileeggs)Image ofichneumon
© Hiran Ratnayake, shutterstock