ichneumon

UK: /ɪkˈnjuːmən/ US: (ik no̅o̅′mən, -nyo̅o̅′-)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ich•neu•mon  (ik no̅o̅′mən, -nyo̅o̅′-), n. 

1. Mammals Also called African mongoose. a slender, long-tailed mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon, inhabiting Africa and southern Europe, and believed by the ancient Egyptians to devour crocodile eggs.
2. Insects See ichneumon fly. 

• Greek ichneúmōn tracker, equivalent. to ichneú(ein) to track (see ichno-) + -mōn agent suffix
• Latin
• 1565–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ichneumon / ɪkˈnjuːmən/ noun

1. a mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon, of Africa and S Europe, having greyish-brown speckled fur

Etymology: 16th Century: via Latin from Greek, literally: tracker, hunter, from ikhneuein to track, from ikhnos a footprint; so named from the animal's alleged ability to locate the eggs of crocodiles