ichneumon

noun /ɪkˈnjuːmən/

1. An Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), found in Africa and southern Europe.

   when the Ichneumon is to grapple with the Crocodile, he walloweth his body in the mire, then lets the same drie and harden upon him[…].

2. An ichneumon wasp.

   Ada's unique Lorelei Underwing had died, paralyzed by some ichneumon that had not been deceived by those clever prominences and fungoid smudges.

Where it comes from

Learned borrowing from Latin ichneumōn, from Ancient Greek ἰχνεύμων (ikhneúmōn, “tracker”), from ἴχνος (íkhnos, “track, footstep”).

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry ichneumon (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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