Etymologically
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jaguar

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 14 October 2026 at 23:21. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈd͡ʒæɡ.jʊə/, /ˈd͡ʒæɡ.juː.ə/ (UK); /ˈd͡ʒæɡ.wɑɹ/, /ˈd͡ʒæɡ.(j)u.ɑɹ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Portuguese jaguar,[2][3][4][5][6] from Tupi jaguara,[3][4][6] a word for a large beast of prey;[4][5] the AHD and Barnhart also cite Guarani yaguar, yaguará.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The large spotted cat of Central and South America (1604, or c. 1600 in Etymonline).[7][3][5][4]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that the Tupi word was said in old sources to denote any large beast of prey.[4] The name was given to a British make of car from 1935, for which Jag is attested by 1951.[4]

Timeline

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A large cat of Central and South America, related to the leopard, with a yellowish coat spotted with black rosettes.
  • jaguarundi
  • cougar
  • puma

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press