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tomcat. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
tomcat, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
tomcat in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
tomcat you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
From Tom + cat, popularised by The Life and Adventures of a Cat (1760), by an anonymous author, in which the male cat was called Tom.
Noun
tomcat (plural tomcats)
- A tom (male cat).
- (informal) A promiscuous man.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:promiscuous man
- (Southeast Asia) An insect of the order Coleoptera referring to certain species of rove beetles, particularly in the genus Paederus. Known for secreting a potent irritant, pederin, which can cause severe skin irritation and blistering when contacted.
Translations
Verb
tomcat (third-person singular simple present tomcats, present participle tomcatting, simple past and past participle tomcatted)
- (originally US, informal, of a man) To prowl for sexual gratification.
1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber, published 2003, page 539:He would not go roaming the streets tom-catting like Mr Schick.
Derived terms
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Anagrams