Felis*: Meaning and Definition of

Fe•lis

Pronunciation: (fē'lis), [key]
— n.
  1. a genus of mostly small cats, including the domestic cat, margay, puma, and ocelot, sharing with certain cats of related genera an inability to roar due to ossification of the hyoid bone in the larynx. Cf. Panthera.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.