civeta

Catalan

Etymology

Ultimately from Arabic زَبَاد (zabād). Possibly reborrowed via French civette.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [siˈβe̞.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [siˈvə.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Central) [siˈβɛ.tə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [siˈve.ta]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [siˈβe.ta]

Noun

civeta f (plural civetes)

1. a civet, particularly an African civet (Civettictis civetta)

Derived terms

• civeta de palmera

Further reading

• “civeta”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “civeta”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from French civette, from Italian zibetto, from Arabic زَبَاد (zabād). Doublet of zibeta.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /siˈve.tɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /siˈve.tɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /siˈve.ta/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /siˈve.tɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /siˈve.tɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /siˈbe.tɐ/ [siˈβe.tɐ]

• Hyphenation: ci‧ve‧ta

Noun

civeta f (plural civetas)

1. civet (any of several small viverrids that produce a musky secretion)

   Synonym: gato-de-algália

Further reading

• “civeta”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from French civette.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θiˈbeta/ [θiˈβ̞e.t̪a] (Equatorial Guinea, Spain)
• IPA^(key): /siˈbeta/ [siˈβ̞e.t̪a] (Latin America, Philippines)

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eta
• Syllabification: ci‧ve‧ta

Noun

civeta f (plural civetas)

1. civet (cat-like animal)

Derived terms

• café de civeta
• civeta nutria

Further reading

• “civeta”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025