tomcat

See also: tom cat

English

Alternative forms

• tom cat, tom-cat

Etymology

From Tom + cat, popularised by The Life and Adventures of a Cat (1760), by an anonymous author, in which the male cat was called Tom.

Noun

tomcat (plural tomcats)

1. A tom (male cat).
2. (informal) A promiscuous man.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:promiscuous man

3. (Southeast Asia) An insect of the order Coleoptera referring to certain species of rove beetles, particularly in the genus Paederus. Known for secreting a potent irritant, pederin, which can cause severe skin irritation and blistering when contacted.

Translations

tom — see tom

promiscuous man — see womanizer

Verb

tomcat (third-person singular simple present tomcats, present participle tomcatting, simple past and past participle tomcatted)

1. (originally US, informal, of a man) To prowl for sexual gratification.
   • 1985, Peter Carey, Illywhacker, Faber and Faber, published 2003, page 539:

     He would not go roaming the streets tom-catting like Mr Schick.

Derived terms

• tomcat around

See also

• caterwaul

Anagrams

• Cottam