feline

/'fi:lain/

Thân thiện

A sleek feline stretches in a sunlit patch on the living room floor.

Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Of or relating to cats: Pertaining to the biological family Felidae, which includes domestic cats, lions, tigers, and other similar animals. It describes characteristics, behaviors, or physical traits typical of these animals.
   • Resembling a cat; stealthy, sleek, or sly: Used metaphorically to describe a person's graceful, quiet, or cunning manner, reminiscent of a cat's movements or perceived nature.

2. Noun:

   • Any member of the family Felidae; a cat: A carnivorous mammal belonging to the biological family Felidae, characterized generally by a lithe body, round head, retractable claws (in most species), and keen senses. This includes both wild species (e.g., lions, leopards) and domestic cats.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The model moved with a feline grace on the runway.
  • We studied the feline anatomy in our zoology class.
• Noun:
  • The cheetah is the fastest feline.
  • Large felines like tigers are apex predators.

Advanced Usage

• "Feline" as a metaphorical descriptor: Often used in literature and descriptive writing to evoke qualities of stealth, elegance, or aloofness.
  • He watched with a feline intensity, not missing a single detail.
• In technical/biological contexts, "feline" is the adjectival form for the taxonomic family Felidae.
  • Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) affects domestic cats.

Variants and Related Words

• Felid (n): A more formal, scientific synonym for the noun "feline"; any animal of the family Felidae.
• Felinity (n): The quality or state of being feline.
• Felinae (n): The subfamily of Felidae that includes smaller cats.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Catlike, stealthy, sleek.
• Noun: Cat, felid (technical).

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "Feline agility": Exceptional nimbleness and balance characteristic of cats.
  • The gymnast's feline agility was astounding.
• "Feline curiosity": An intense, sometimes risky inquisitiveness, proverbially attributed to cats.
  • Driven by feline curiosity, she opened the mysterious package.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. of or relating to cats
   • feline fur

Noun

1. any of various lithe-bodied roundheaded fissiped mammals, many with retractile claws

Từ đồng nghĩa

• felid