cheetah
[chee-tuh]
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.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
panther, puma, lynx, leopard, tiger, lion, wildcat, jaguar, civet, tom, tabby, kitty, cougar, puss, kitten, bobcat, tomcat, pussy, ocelot, mouser
Nearby words
- cheesemonger,
- cheeseparing,
- cheesesteak,
- cheesewood,
- cheesy,
- cheever,
- cheever, john,
- chef,
- chef de cuisine,
- chef's knife
Origin of cheetah
1695–1705; < Hindi cītā < Sanskrit citraka leopard; compare Pali cittaka, Prakrit cittaya
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for cheetah
cheetah
chetah
noun
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
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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cheetah
1704, from Hindi chita "leopard," from Sanskrit chitraka "hunting leopard, tiger," literally "speckled," from chitra-s "distinctively marked, variegated, many-colored, bright, clear" (from PIE *kit-ro-, from root *(s)kai- (1) "bright, shining;" see shine (v.)) + kayah "body," from PIE *kwei- "to build, make" (see poet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper