What is the first level of etymology (history) of the word meerkat, a small mongoose found in Southern Africa?

Typical of languages, history plays an important role in the etymology of words. Contributing factors include intermingling of cultures due to colonialism, commerce, trade and cultural considerations. Linguists describe an immediate etymology of the word meerkat based on the Dutch who colonized South Africa. Other influences and historical considerations come into play going further back in time.

A meerkat is a mongoose found in Southern Africa. The immediate etymology for the word derives from the Dutch name for a kind of monkey which then derives from the Old High German ‘mericazza’, possibly as a combination of ‘meer’ (‘lake’) and ‘kat’ (’cat’). This may be related to the similar HIndi (‘markat’, or ‘monkey’), deriving from the Sanskrit, though the German word predates any known connections to India.

The name was used for small mammals in South Africa from 1801 onward, possibly because the Dutch colonists used the name in reference to many burrowing animals.

Meerkats are highly social forming packs of two to 30 individuals. They occupy home ranges around 5 km2 (1.9 square miles) in area and live in rock crevices often in a large burrow systems in plains.