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The word meerkat derives from the Afrikaans language. The origin of the name is uncertain, giving rise to a number of theories, including:
*The provincial Dutch / colloquial Afrikaans word mier meaning 'ant' and kat, which means 'cat', hence an 'ant cat' referring to the meerkat's preying on ants and termites.
*A Dutch name for a kind of monkey, proposed to come from the Old High German mericazza

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