serval

ser·val

S s

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [sur-vuh l]
- /ˈsɜr vəl/
- /sˈɜːvəl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [sur-vuh l]
- /ˈsɜr vəl/

Definitions of serval word

noun plural serval a long-limbed, nocturnal African cat, Felis serval, about the size of a bobcat, having a tawny coat spotted with black: now rare in many former habitats. 1
noun serval a slender feline mammal, Felis serval, of the African bush, having an orange-brown coat with black spots, large ears, and long legs 0
noun serval an African wildcat (Leptailurus serval) with a black-spotted, tawny coat, long legs, and no ear tufts 0

See all 3 definitions of serval

Information block about the term

Origin of serval

First appearance:

before 1765

One of the 46% newest English words

1765-75; < New Latin < Portuguese (lobo) cerval lynx, literally, staglike (wolf) < Late Latin cervālis deerlike, equivalent to Latin cerv(us) stag + -ālis -al1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Serval

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Serval

serval popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 65% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

serval usage trend in Literature

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