noun
raccoon-like omnivorous mammal of Mexico and the southwestern United States having a long bushy tail with black and white rings
• Syn:
↑cacomistle, ↑cacomixle, ↑coon cat, ↑raccoon fox, ↑ringtail, ↑ring-tailed cat, ↑civet cat, ↑miner's cat, ↑Bassariscus astutus
• Hypernyms: ↑procyonid
• Member Holonyms: ↑Bassariscus, ↑genus Bassariscus
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\\ˈbasəˌrisk\ noun (-s)Etymology: modification of New Latin Bassariscus
1. : cacomistle
2. : the fur or pelt of the cacomistle
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/bas"euh risk'/, n.
any carnivorous mammal of the genus Bassariscus, comprising the cacomistles and ringtails.
[ < NL Bassariscus name of genus, equiv. to Gk bassár(a) fox + NL -iscus dim. suffix < Gk -iskos]
Useful english dictionary. 2012.