leopard

See also: Leopard, léopard, and leopárd

English

Leopard on a fallen tree.

Alternative forms

  • lybard (obsolete) [14th–16th c.]
  • libbard (obsolete) [14th–19th c.]

Etymology

From Middle English leopard, leopart, lepard, leperd, from Old French leopard (“leopard”), from Late Latin leopardus (“leopon, lipard”) from late Ancient Greek λεόπαρδος (leópardos, “leopon, lipard”), from λέων (léōn, “lion”) + πάρδος (párdos, “pard, male leopard”),[1] from earlier πάρδαλις (párdalis, “leopard”),[2] probably from an unattested Old Persian [Term?] term ancestral to Middle Persian [script needed] (palang), Khwarezmian [script needed] (plyk), Sogdian [script needed] (pwrδnk), Pashto پړانګ (pṛāng).[3] Compare Persian پلنگ (palang) and Sanskrit पृदाकु (pṛdāku, “panther”). First attested in the late 13th c. (early 13th c. as a surname).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈlɛp.əd/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈlɛp.ɚd/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Homophone: lepered

Noun

leopard (plural leopards)

  2. A large wild cat with a spotted coat native to Africa and Asia (Panthera pardus).
    • 1990, Dorothy L. Cheney, How Monkeys See the World: Inside the Mind of Another Species, published 1992, page 284:
      During all such cases when we were present they responded by giving repeated alarm calls, even when the leopard was already feeding on a carcass. We wanted to determine whether vervets knew enough about the behavior of leopards to recognize that, even in the absence of a leopard, a carcass in a tree signaled the same potential danger as did a leopard itself.
    • 1998, Oded Borowski, Every Living Thing: Daily Use of Animals in Ancient Israel, page 201:
      The leopard (Panthera pardus or Felis pardus cf tulliana) is a close relative of the lion, but biblical references mentioning it are very few, suggesting that it was not as common.
    • 2005, Richard Ellis, Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn: The Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese Medicine, page 197:
      Leopard skins have always been desirable commodities because of their spectacular spotted patterns.
    1. (especially) The male of the species P. pardus, as distinguished from a leopardess.
  3. (loosely) A similar-looking, large wild cat named after the leopard.
    • 2005, Eric Dinerstein, Tigerland and Other Unintended Destinations, page 81:
      There are plenty of beautiful cats among the thirty-nine species in the Felidae family, but the three leopards—clouded, common, and snow—may be the most visually stunning. Cloaked in the most beautiful fur of any cat, the reclusive clouded leopard is the Greta Garbo of the lot; it lives a solitary life in the remote jungles of Asia, from Nepal to Borneo.
    1. A clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa or Neofelis diardi), a large wild cat native to Asia.
    2. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), a large wild cat native to Asia.
  4. (heraldry) A lion passant guardant.
    • 1968, Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin, The Observer's Book of Heraldry, pages 68–69:
      Sometimes there is confusion over the heraldic leopard, the question being—When is a leopard not a leopard? There is a theory that the lion and leopard were the same thing, and that they were named entirely depending on their attitude—thus if the animal was passant guardant it was a leopard, but when rampant it was a lion. Nowadays a leopard is the genuine spotted article and quite unmistakeable. Some people still speak, wrongly, of the leopards of England, but it does no great harm as it is an ancient expression and everybody knows what it means.
  5. Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Phalanta, having black markings on an orange base.

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

  • (hybrid formed by a leopard and a lioness): leopon
  • (hybrid formed by a lion and a leopardess): lipard

References

  1. ^ “leopard”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  2. ^ “pard, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  3. ^ “†pardal, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Anagrams

Albanian

Noun

leopárd m (plural leopárdë, definite leopárdi, definite plural leopárdët)

  1. leopard

Declension

Declension of leopard
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative leopard leopardi leopardë leopardët
accusative leopardin
dative leopardi leopardit leopardëve leopardëve
ablative leopardësh

Further reading

  • “leopard”, in FMGJSH: Fjalor i madh i gjuhës shqipe (in Albanian), 2026

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian леопард (leopard), from Latin leopardus (“leopard”).

Noun

leopard

  1. leopard

Declension

Declension of leopard
singular plural
nominative leopard leopardlar
genitive leopardnıñ leopardlarnıñ
dative leopardğa leopardlarğa
accusative leopardnı leopardlarnı
locative leopardda leopardlarda
ablative leoparddan leopardlardan

References

  • Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002), Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN
  • “leopard”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)

Czech

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈlɛopart]
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

leopard m anim (female equivalent leopardice)

  1. leopard
    Synonym: levhart

Declension

Declension of leopard (hard masculine animate)
singular plural
nominative leopard leopardi, leopardové
genitive leoparda leopardů
dative leopardovi, leopardu leopardům
accusative leoparda leopardy
vocative leoparde leopardi, leopardové
locative leopardovi, leopardu leopardech
instrumental leopardem leopardy

Derived terms

Further reading

Danish

Pronunciation

Noun

leopard c (singular definite leoparden, plural indefinite leoparder)

  1. leopard

Declension

Declension of leopard
common
gender 		singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative leopard leoparden leoparder leoparderne
genitive leopards leopardens leoparders leopardernes

Further reading

Kashubian

Etymology

    Borrowed from German Leopard.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /lɛˈɔ.part/
    • Rhymes: -ɔpart
    • Syllabification: le‧o‧pard

    Noun

    leopard m animal (female equivalent leopardzëca)

    1. synonym of lampart

    References

    Norwegian Bokmål

    Noun

    leopard m (definite singular leoparden, indefinite plural leoparder, definite plural leopardene)

    1. a leopard (big cat, Panthera pardus)

    Derived terms

    See also

    Norwegian Nynorsk

    Noun

    leopard m (definite singular leoparden, indefinite plural leopardar, definite plural leopardane)

    1. a leopard (as above)

    Derived terms

    See also

    Polish

    leopard

    Etymology

    Internationalism; compare English leopard, French léopard, German Leopard, ultimately from Late Latin leopardus, from Ancient Greek λεόπαρδος (leópardos). Doublet of lampart.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /lɛˈɔ.part/
    • Audio:(file)
    • Rhymes: -ɔpart
    • Syllabification: le‧o‧pard
    • Homophone: Leopard

    Noun

    leopard m animal

    1. leopard (Panthera pardus)
      Synonyms: lampart, lampart plamisty, pantera, rysiec
    2. (military) Leopard tank

    Declension

    Declension of leopard
    singular plural
    nominative leopard leopardy
    genitive leoparda leopardów
    dative leopardowi leopardom
    accusative leoparda leopardy
    instrumental leopardem leopardami
    locative leopardzie leopardach
    vocative leopardzie leopardy

    Further reading

    • “leopard”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎[3] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
    • “leopard”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎[4] (in Polish)

    Romanian

    Etymology

    Etymology tree
    Ancient Greek λέων (léōn)
    Ancient Greek πάρδος (párdos)
    Ancient Greek λεόπαρδος (leópardos)bor.
    Latin leopardus
    French léopardbor.
    Romanian leopard

      Borrowed from French léopard, from Latin leopardus.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /ˌle.oˈpard/
      • Hyphenation: le‧o‧pard

      Noun

      leopard m (plural leoparzi)

      1. leopard

      Declension

      singular plural
      indefinite definite indefinite definite
      nominative-accusative leopard leopardul leoparzi leoparzii
      genitive-dative leopard leopardului leoparzi leoparzilor
      vocative leopardule leoparzilor

      Further reading

      Serbo-Croatian

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /lêopaːrd/
      • Hyphenation: le‧o‧pard

      Noun

      lȅopārd m anim (Cyrillic spelling ле̏опа̄рд)

      1. leopard

      Declension

      Declension of leopard
      singular plural
      nominative lȅopārd / lȅopard leopardi
      genitive leoparda leoparda
      dative leopardu leopardima
      accusative leoparda leoparde
      vocative leoparde leopardi
      locative leopardu leopardima
      instrumental leopardom leopardima

      Further reading

      • “leopard”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

      Swedish

      en leopard

      Noun

      leopard c

      1. leopard
        Synonym: panter
        en leopardmönstrad tröja
        a leopard print sweater

      Declension

      Declension of leopard
      nominative genitive
      singular indefinite leopard leopards
      definite leoparden leopardens
      plural indefinite leoparder leoparders
      definite leoparderna leopardernas

      Descendants

      • → Finnish: leopardi

      See also

      References

      Anagrams

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