cheetah
[ chee-tuh ]
/ ˈtʃi tə /
noun
a cat, Acinonyx jubatus, of southwestern Asia and Africa, resembling a leopard but having certain doglike characteristics, often trained for hunting deer, antelope, etc.: an endangered species.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of cheetah
1695–1705; <Hindi cītā<Sanskrit citraka leopard; compare Pali cittaka,Prakrit cittaya
Words nearby cheetah
cheese straw, cheese tray, cheesewood, cheese worker's lung, cheesy, cheetah, Cheever, chef, chef de cuisine, chef-d'oeuvre, cheffy
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for cheetah
British Dictionary definitions for cheetah
cheetah
chetah
/ (ˈtʃiːtə) /
noun
a large feline mammal, Acinonyx jubatus, of Africa and SW Asia: the swiftest mammal, having very long legs, nonretractile claws, and a black-spotted light-brown coat
Word Origin for cheetah
C18: from Hindi cītā, from Sanskrit citrakāya tiger, from citra bright, speckled + kāya body
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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