VIVERRID

[vi.ver.rid] n [NL Viverridae, fr. Viverra, type genus, fr. L viverra ferret; akin to OE acweorna squirrel, Lith vovere] (1902): any of a family (Viverridae) of carnivorous mammals (as a civet, a genet, or a mongoose) that are rarely larger than a domestic cat but are long, slender, and like a weasel in build with short more or less retractile claws and rounded feet -- viverrid adj