English
leopard
Leopard comes from Late Latin leopardus ‘leopon, lipard’, and goes back to Ancient Greek λεόπαρδος.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλεόπαρδοςleópardos‘leopon, lipard’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEleopardus‘leopon, lipard’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400leopard
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1968same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEλεόπαρδοςleópardos‘leopon, lipard’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEleopardus‘leopon, lipard’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400leopard
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1968same form
Earliest quotation: 1968, Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin, The Observer's Book of Heraldry: “Sometimes there is confusion over the heraldic leopard, the…”
A compound of λέων ‘lion’ + πάρδος ‘pard, male leopard’
first attested First attested in the late 13th c. (early 13th c. as a surname) (as stated in the etymology)
The story
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”), from earlier πάρδαλις (párdalis, “leopard”), 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). First attested in the late 13th c. (early 13th c. as a surname).
Every English word from Ancient Greek λεόπαρδος
Today it means
noun A large wild cat with a spotted coat native to Africa and Asia (Panthera pardus).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek λεόπαρδος / leopard