Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

catamount

/ˈkætəˌmaʊnt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.65 in modern English

Syllables: cat-a-mount
IPA: /ˈkætəˌmaʊnt/

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A wild animal of the family Felidae, especially the cougar, mountain lion or puma (Puma concolor).

American usage

noun

Synonym of catamountain (“a leopard, a panther (Panthera pardus)”).

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Uncle Charley's voice was very soft and there was a weary note in it. "Great snarlin' catamounts, but I'm tired.""
"'He would have rid that horse, too,' pa says, 'if I hadn't a stopped him. A durn spotted critter wilder than a catty-mount. A deliberate flouting of her and me.'"

Etymology

Clipping of catamountain (“leopard, panther; ocelot; man living in the mountains”), from Late Middle English catamountain, from Middle English catte of the mountayne, cate of þe mounttaynne (“leopard, panther”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: catamountain, catte of the mountayne

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkætəˌmaʊnt/
British English: /ˈkætəmaʊnt/

Usage

American usage
Obsolete

Inflected Forms

catamounts (plural) catty-mount (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

catawampus

Synonyms

catamountain cougar puma mountain lion painter panther felis concolor lynx

Questions

How do you pronounce catamount?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkætəˌmaʊnt/.
What does catamount mean?: A wild animal of the family Felidae, especially the cougar, mountain lion or puma (Puma concolor).
Where does catamount come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce catamount

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “catamount”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkætəˌmaʊnt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “catamount”.
Repeat and practice — Say “catamount” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.