# Herpestidae -- of mice and mongooses

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herpestidae-of-mice-and-mongooses/500333>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 19, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herpestidae-of-mice-and-mongooses/500333 "2009-06-19T20:57:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stathol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71e660/32.png) [@Stathol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stathol)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herpestidae-of-mice-and-mongooses/500333/1 "2009-06-19T20:57:58Z")

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The [snake repellent](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=521662) thread prompted me to look up “mongoose” on wikipedia. Apparently their taxonomic family is “herpestidae”.

Now, I know just enough Latin to be dangerous, but I recognize that “herpe-” signifies something to do with snakes (whence, “herpetology”). But I’m curious – does the family name derive from their reputation as snake-fighters, or because (as mammals go) they’re kind of shaped like snakes?

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**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herpestidae-of-mice-and-mongooses/500333/2 "2009-06-19T21:17:41Z")

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Herpestidae (the family name) is derived from the name of the genus Herpestes, and that seems to be derived from Greek words meaning “creeping thief”.

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**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herpestidae-of-mice-and-mongooses/500333/3 "2009-06-19T21:20:11Z")

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Aha! I have inspired learning with my blatherings! 😃

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**Author:** ![Stathol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71e660/32.png) [@Stathol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stathol)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herpestidae-of-mice-and-mongooses/500333/4 "2009-06-19T21:39:31Z")

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Ah, none of the above, then.

In the interest of completeness, I looked up “herpetology” in the OED. It, too, comes from the same Greek “herpein”, meaning to creep. And, if you’re wondering, this is also the root of “herpes”.

So while the naming of the mongoose family doesn’t actually have anything to do with snakes directly, it turns out that they have a similar name because both are “creepy”. 😃

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/herpestidae-of-mice-and-mongooses/500333/5 "2009-06-19T21:42:33Z")

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Nobody seems to know where the term _Herpestes_ comes from – it appears to be the Latin for “mongoose.” Mongoose is an anglicization of two Drvidian terms (meaning “mongoose” of course) Telego _mungeesa_ and Kannada _mungus_, probably through Marathi _mangus_, an obvious borrowing from the Dravidian terms. The English spelling seems to have adapted to -goose. Two or more of the little critters, though, are mongooses, not ‘mongeese’.

I have a hunch – nothing provable – that _herpestes_ derives from “snake predator” or something of the sort.