tomcat
noun, verb
Forms tomcats tomcatting tomcatted tom cat tom-cat
- noun A tom (male cat).
- noun (informal) A promiscuous man.
- noun (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.
- verb (originally US, informal, of a man) To prowl for sexual gratification.
Synonyms
benedick cad drabber fuck boy fuck-boy fuckboy gallant goat he-bitch himbo homme fatal horndog loverboy loverman man ho man whore man-whore manslut manwhore muttonmonger tom
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.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Tom (see Tomboy) + cat.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tomcat”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details