leopard

[ lep-erd ]
See synonyms for leopard on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a large, spotted Asian or African carnivore, Panthera pardus, of the cat family, usually tawny with black markings; the Old World panther: all leopard populations are threatened or endangered.

  2. the fur or pelt of this animal.

  1. any of various related cats resembling this animal.

  2. Heraldry. a lion represented from the side as walking, usually with one forepaw raised, and looking toward the spectator.

  3. Numismatics.

    • an Anglo-Gallic gold coin issued by Edward III, equal to half a florin, bearing the figure of a leopard.

    • a silver Anglo-Gallic coin issued by Henry V.

  4. Leopard, Military. a 42-ton (38-metric ton) West German tank with a 105 mm gun.

Origin of leopard

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English leopard, labarde, lebarde, from Old French leopard, lebard, leupard, from Late Latin leōpardus, from Greek leópardos, syncopated variant of leontópardos, equivalent to leonto- (stem of léōn ) + párdos; see origin at lion, pard1

Words Nearby leopard

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How to use leopard in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for leopard

leopard

/ (ˈlɛpəd) /


noun
  1. Also called: panther a large feline mammal, Panthera pardus, of forests of Africa and Asia, usually having a tawny yellow coat with black rosette-like spots

  2. any of several similar felines, such as the snow leopard and cheetah

  1. clouded leopard a feline, Neofelis nebulosa, of SE Asia and Indonesia with a yellowish-brown coat marked with darker spots and blotches

  2. heraldry a stylized leopard, painted as a lion with the face turned towards the front

  3. the pelt of a leopard

Origin of leopard

1
C13: from Old French lepart, from Late Latin leōpardus, from Late Greek leópardos, from leōn lion + pardos pard ² (the leopard was thought at one time to be the result of cross-breeding)

Derived forms of leopard

  • leopardess, fem n

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