African wildcat

noun

: a slender-tailed wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica) of Africa and the Middle East that has a usually buff, gray, or brown coat and is typically considered to be the ancestor of the domestic cat

Most people seeing an African wildcat would indeed think "pussycat."

—Stephen Budiansky, Atlantic Monthly, June 2002

A variant of the African wildcat, domestic cats probably first cozied up to humans in Egypt several thousand years ago. They populated the globe by riding the coattails of trade and empire.

—Bruce Barcott, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2007

Word History

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above

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