fossa

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a concavity in a surface (especially an anatomical depression)
noun monotypic genus of Madagascar civets closely related to palm civets
noun largest carnivore of Madagascar; intermediate in some respects between cats and civets

Unadapted borrowing from Latin fossa (“a ditch, trench, fosse”). Doublet of fosse.

At this moment the creature’s head could be seen, which was small, flat, but widened behind by the large temporal fossae hidden under the long roof. — The Mysterious Island, Jules Verne
Even the old Laird, we are told, “was a very hearty and hospitable landlord,” though with his belief in his rights of furca et fossa he certainly was an antediluvian. — Footsteps of Dr. Johnson (Scotland), George Birkbeck Norman Hill

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