köken: From Middle High German merekatze, from Old High German merikazza (11th century); equivalent to Meer (“sea”) + Katze (“cat”). So called probably because they were brought to Europe over the sea from Africa. The restriction to the specific species is obviously not original, but a fairly recent scientific use. Adelung (ca. 1780) still defines it as referring to any long-tailed monkey. Compare…
Nom vernaculaire ambigu de certaines espèces de singes à longue queue non préhensile de la famille des cercopithécidés, la plupart appartiennent au genre Cercopithecus.
a guenon, vervet, talapoin or patas; one of a number of monkeys of the genus Cercopithecus, or of the tribe Cercopithecini
çekim: çoğul meerkatten
köken: From Middle Dutch meercatte (“monkey, ape”), from Old Dutch *merikatta. Equivalent to meer + kat. Cognate with Old High German merikazza (German Meerkatze).
De groene meerkat of vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) is de meest voorkomende aap in zuidelijk Afrika.
freshwater eel, any of eels of the family Anguillidae · a girl or woman who wears inappropriate and racy clothing · a woman who flirts or plays with men's affections; a coquette, a flirt
köken: Inherited from Proto-Philippine *igat (“freshwater eel”)