🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

fossa

Pronunciation / Transliteration: fosa

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Fossa/ˈfɒsə/
nounCEFR C2 (Proficient)Top #45000 frequency
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🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"Le fossa est un prédateur redoutable endémique de Madagascar."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A large, cat-like carnivorous mammal (Cryptoprocta ferox) native to Madagascar, belonging to the mongoose family, known for being the island's largest mammalian carnivore.

    "The fossa is an agile hunter that preys primarily on lemurs in the dense rainforests of Madagascar."
  2. 2

    In anatomy, a shallow depression or pit, especially in the bone.

    "The canine fossa is a depression located on the exterior surface of the maxilla."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Modern Latin, based on Malagasy 'fosa', which ultimately stems from the Austronesian root words for predator or wild animal. The term entered English zoological literature in the late 18th to early 19th century to describe the largest mammalian carnivore native to Madagascar.

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