Zane
Tiger Etymology
Etymology
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The Middle English tigre and Old English tigras derive from Old French tigre, from Latin tigris. This was a borrowing of Classical Greek τίγρις ‘tigris’, a foreign borrowing of unknown origin meaning ‘tiger’ as well as the river Tigris.[4]
The origin may have been the Persian word tigra meaning ‘pointed or sharp’, and the Avestan word tigrhi ‘arrow’, perhaps referring to the speed of the tiger’s leap, although these words are not known to have any meanings associated with tigers.[5]
The generic name Panthera is derived from the Latin word panthera, and the Ancient Greek word πάνθηρ ‘panther’.[6]
The Sanskrit word पाण्डर pāṇḍ-ara means ‘pale yellow, whitish, white’.[7]
