# tomcat

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #48,531

## Definitions
1. A tom (male cat).
2. A promiscuous man.
3. 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.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **toma** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/toma-vs-tomcat)
- **tomato** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tomato-vs-tomcat)

## Common misspellings (9)
`otmcat`, `tmocat`, `tocmat`, `tomact`, `tomcatt`, `tomccat`, `tomcta`, `tommcat`, `ttomcat`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tomcat