Maine Coon

noun

A large, fluffy semi-longhair domestic cat of a breed that originated in Maine.

Meanings

Maine Coon1

nounMaine Coon (plural Maine Coons)

plural Maine Coons · alternative Coonie · alternative Maine · alternative MC

  1. A large, fluffy semi-longhair domestic cat of a breed that originated in Maine.

    Synonyms: American longhair, gentle giant

Maine coon2

nounMaine coon (plural Maine coons)

plural Maine coons

  1. alternativeAlternative form of Maine Coon

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA large, fluffy semi-longhair domestic cat of a breed that originated in Maine.

Origin

The attribute “Maine” is after the region where the breed originally became popular. For the second part, there are several theories. The dominant one is that it refers to a resemblance of the breed to the raccoon, leading some to propose the theoretical impossibility of the cat being a crossbreed with the raccoon. Another theory is that the name derives from a legendary Captain Tom Coon, who is said to have brought over such exotic cats.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 緬因貓 /缅因猫
  • 緬因貓 /缅因猫 (miǎnyīnmāo)domestic cat
Dutch Maine Coon, mainecoon
  • Maine Coondomestic cat
  • mainecoondomestic cat
Finnish Maine coon
  • Maine coondomestic cat
French maine coon
  • maine coondomestic cat
Japanese メインクーン
  • メインクーン (Mein Kūn)domestic cat
Korean 메인쿤
  • 메인쿤 (meinkun)domestic cat
Russian мейн-кун
  • мейн-кун (mejn-kun)domestic cat
Thai เมนคูน
  • เมนคูนdomestic cat
Ukrainian мейн-кун
  • мейн-кун (mejn-kun)domestic cat
Cite this entry
APA

Maine Coon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maine%20Coon

MLA

“Maine Coon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maine%20Coon. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Maine Coon,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Maine%20Coon.

Source: Maine Coon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.