[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/fossa/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [F](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/f/) / fossa

# fossa

noun (a fossa, fossas; anatomy plural fossae)

«fossa» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A fossa is a slim, cat-like meat-eating animal that lives only in Madagascar, the island's top predator. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fossa/#m1)
2. In anatomy, a fossa is a small hollow or dip in a bone or the body. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fossa/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science, the fossa hunts lemurs and climbs trees using its long tail for balance; it appears in the film «Madagascar». It is related to mongooses, not cats.

### Examples

- The fossa leapt through the trees after a lemur. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fossa/#x1)
- Fossas live only in Madagascar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fossa/#x2)
- A fossa looks like a cat but isn't one. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fossa/#x3)
- Its long tail helps it balance on branches. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fossa/#x4)
- The doctor pointed to a small fossa in the skull bone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fossa/#x5)
- The fossa is the largest predator on Madagascar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fossa/#x6)

### Note

Pronounced «FOSS-uh». Not related to «fossil», though both come from Latin «fodere», to dig.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «fossa» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/fossa/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«fossa» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/fossa.html) on Mova free.