civet

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Any of various catlike mammals of the family Viverridae of Africa and Asia, having anal scent glands that secrete a fluid with a musky odor.
• noun The thick yellowish musky fluid secreted by one of these mammals, used in the manufacture of perfumes.
• noun The fur of one of these mammals.
• noun The palm civet of Africa.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun The secretion of the anal glands of the civet-cats, used in perfumery, etc.
• noun The civet-cat.
• noun plural The animals of the genus Viverra or family Viverridæ.
• noun A stew, usually of rabbit or hare, flavored with onion, cives, garlic, or the like.
• To scent with civet; perfume.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• transitive verb To scent or perfume with civet.
• noun A substance, of the consistence of butter or honey, taken from glands in the anal pouch of the civet (Viverra civetta). It is of clear yellowish or brownish color, of a strong, musky odor, offensive when undiluted, but agreeable when a small portion is mixed with another substance. It is used as a perfume.
• noun (Zoöl) The animal that produces civet (Viverra civetta); -- called also civet cat. It is carnivorous, from two to three feet long, and of a brownish gray color, with transverse black bands and spots on the body and tail. It is a native of northern Africa and of Asia. The name is also applied to other species.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun A carnivorous catlike animal that produces a musky secretion. It is two to three feet long, with black bands and spots on the body and tail.
• noun The musky perfume produced by the animal.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun cat-like mammal typically secreting musk used in perfumes