vontsira

English

Red-tailed vontsira (Galidia elegans)

Etymology

From Malagasy vontsira (“several similar mongoose-like animals”), from Swahili nguchiro.

Noun

vontsira (plural vontsiras)

1. A member of either of two species of small, brown, mongoose-like mammals Salanoia concolor and Salanoia durrelli, from Madagascar.

Anagrams

• Tirnavos, Vitranos

Malagasy

Etymology

Borrowed from Swahili nguchiro.

Noun

vontsira

1. A member of either of two species of small, brown, mongoose-like mammals Salanoia concolor and Salanoia durrelli, from Madagascar.

References

• Blench, Roger, Walsh, Martin (2011) “Faunal names in Malagasy: their etymologies and implications for the prehistory of the East African coast”, in 11th International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics‎^[1], Aussois, France, pages 1–31