NYT Dictionary

CARACAL

/ˈkæɹ.əˌkæl/
NounCA-ra-calca-ra-cal · 3 syllablesGrade 10

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Meaning

A type of cat native to Southern Africa, West Asia, and parts of Central and South Asia, Caracal caracal.

Etymology

Origin: French

From French caracal, from Ottoman Turkish قره قولاق (kara kulak, literally “black ear”), a calque of Classical Persian سیاهگوش (siyāh-gōš). Compare modern Turkish karakulak.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

African lynxAsian lynxPersian lynxIndian lynxdesert lynxlynxfloppa

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.

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