# plural of "mongoose" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 3, 2000, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622 "2000-11-03T23:46:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/1 "2000-11-03T23:46:13Z")
In a couple of threads people have said that my username makes them think of a mongoose (Rikki Tikki Tavi being the connotation, I suppose). And so I wonder… What IS the plural of mongoose? I’m usually able to get around the problem by either not talking about a mongoose at all or keeping the word in the singular… if there’s more than one mongoose, that’s exactly what I say. “There were three mon— three ---- more than one mongoose.” Or “There was a mongoose, and a mongoose, and a mongoose again.” Would it be mongeese? Mongoose? Mongi? Mongooses? Eh? ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2000, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/2 "2000-11-03T23:51:19Z")
I say Mongi. It’s kinda like Octopus = Octopi, but different. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/3 "2000-11-04T00:01:28Z")
polygoose ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/4 "2000-11-04T00:03:09Z")
According to a reputable online [dictionary](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary), both _mongooses_ and _mongeese_ are acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/5 "2000-11-04T00:20:13Z")
Singular = mongoose Plural = a bunch of those mean little snake-eating, rat-looking fuckers ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/6 "2000-11-04T01:33:13Z")
According to tonight’s Jeopardy, Mongooses. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/7 "2000-11-04T01:37:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rysdad \* > \*\*Singular = mongoose > > Plural = a bunch of those mean little snake-eating, rat-looking fuckers \*\* I’ll second that. Usually I say “a bunch o’ mong…err…critters.” ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/8 "2000-11-04T01:56:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Robot Arm \* > \*\*polygoose > \*\* I’m doing it again: BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! ---
**Author:** ![quasar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@quasar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasar)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/9 "2000-11-04T02:45:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by 3waygeek \* > \*\*According to a reputable online [dictionary](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary), both _mongooses_ and _mongeese_ are acceptable. \*\* Wonder what dictionary the guys at Jeopardy are using. Mongeese was deemed incorrect on tonight’s game. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/10 "2000-11-04T02:52:13Z")
If there was a baby one from a certain part of Asia, and it was nursing, would it be a guzzling Mongolian mongosling? Christ. I need psychotherapy. ---
**Author:** ![Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fairy_Princess_Kitty)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/11 "2000-11-04T03:17:49Z")
I would think it’s like moose and cattle, but who said it was supposed to be logical? Like they’ve said before, mongooses or mongeese. Kitty ---
**Author:** ![Skwerl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Skwerl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skwerl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/12 "2000-11-04T04:17:32Z")
I can’t believe no one’s replied with the old joke: A zookeeper wanted to get some extra animals for his zoo, so he decided to compose a letter, the only problem, was that he didn’t know the plural of ‘Mongoose’. He started the letter: “To whom it may concern, I need two Mongeese.” No, that won’t work, he tried again: “To whom it may concern, I need two Mongooses.” Is that right? Finally, he got an idea: “To whom it may concern, I need a Mongoose, and while you’re at it, send me another one.” ---
**Author:** ![Medea\_s\_Child](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Medea\_s\_Child](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Medea_s_Child)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/13 "2000-11-04T04:39:34Z")
\ I think this should follow more of a french trend; if it’s “mon-goose” then it should be “mes-gooses” ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/14 "2000-11-04T05:22:46Z")
In the spirit of the Eggs McMuffin vs Egg McMuffins thread: “Two of them mongoose critters.” ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/15 "2000-11-04T05:39:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by quasar \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by 3waygeek \* > > \*\*According to a reputable online [dictionary](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary), both _mongooses_ and _mongeese_ are acceptable. \*\* > > Wonder what dictionary the guys at Jeopardy are using. Mongeese was deemed incorrect on tonight’s game. > \*\* As I recall, the category was titled “American Heritage Plurals”. Guess the AH and the M-W people are at odds on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/16 "2000-11-04T07:18:16Z")
I remember some newspaper story a while ago that kinda danced around the same question. Whoever wrote the story must not have known the answer either; the story mentioned “the mongoose problem” and “the ferret-like mammals”. Twas pretty amusing. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Sang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ee7513/32.png) [@Le\_Sang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Sang)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/17 "2000-11-04T07:25:19Z")
you mean there’s actually a problem with mongooses or mongeese or whatever they are called in packs or herds or watever the friggin’ things form? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/18 "2000-11-04T07:59:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Le Sang Paresseux \* > \*\*you mean there’s actually a problem with mongooses or mongeese or whatever they are called in packs or herds or watever the friggin’ things form? \*\* Good question. What is a group of mongooses called? A mongaggle? ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/19 "2000-11-04T08:09:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Le Sang Paresseux \* > \*\*you mean there’s actually a problem with mongooses or mongeese or whatever they are called in packs or herds or watever the friggin’ things form? \*\* _rusty French vocabulary straining_ Salut! Cool name you got there. 🙂 Well… they don’t run wild through the streets, but they are common, and they can be pests. Especially so in the more rural areas of the island (I’m in Hawaii). Wasn’t there a thread a while ago about them terms for bunches of animals? ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2000, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622/20 "2000-11-04T08:13:41Z")
[http://trident.mcs.kent.edu/~mscherge/Other/animals.html](http://trident.mcs.kent.edu/~mscherge/Other/animals.html) Unfortunately, there’s no term for mongeese… mongooses… mongii… whatever… listed here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-mongoose/39622.md?page=2)