tiger English · revision 6103

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1000|origins=grc τίγρις}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈtaɪ.ɡə/, US /ˈtaɪ.ɡɚ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English tigre, partly [[inh|ang|tigras]] (plural) and partly [[bor|fro|tigre]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) both from [[la|tigris]], from [[grc|τίγρις|tr=tígris]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Etymonline) probably of Iranian origin:^(MWU 2024)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) compare [[ae|tiɣri-|t=arrow]] and [[m|ae|tiɣra-|t=pointed]] and [[peo|tigra-|t=sharp]], perhaps for its spring on its prey.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) The OED, quoted by Etymonline, notes that neither word is known to be applied to the tiger, and Barnhart allows a foreign word adapted to an Iranian stem by folk etymology.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The large striped cat: Old English tigras, before 1000;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) Middle English tigre is probably before 1300, in ''Kyng Alisaunder''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Word Origins notes that tigers were formerly found in Turkey and the Middle East and were known to Europeans in classical times.^(Cresswell 2021) The name was applied to other animals of the cat family, such as the jaguar, from 1604,^(OED 1989) and to non-feline beasts such as the Tasmanian tiger from 1829.^(OED 1989) A fierce, cruel or bloodthirsty person is from about 1500.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) In American English a shriek or howl at the end of a cheer is from 1845.^(Etymonline) The [[tiger lily]] (1824) is named for its orange and black flowers, and the tiger beetle (1826) for its predatory habits; [[tiger's eye]] is from 1886.^(Etymonline) ''To have a tiger by the tail'', to be caught up in something hard to abandon, is from the early 20th century, and since the 1980s the fast-growing smaller economies of East Asia have been called ''tiger economies''.^(Cresswell 2021) [[tigress|alt=Tigress]] is from the 17th century.^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1000 – Old English tigras.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1500 – a fierce person.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1604 – the jaguar and other cats.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1824 – tiger lily.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1845 – the howl ending a cheer.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1980s – tiger economies.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A large [[carnivorous]] cat of Asia, ''Panthera tigris'', with a tawny coat striped with black.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Any of various similar animals, such as the [[jaguar]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A fierce, aggressive or energetic person.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A country with a fast-growing economy, especially in East Asia.^(Cresswell 2021)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[tigerish]]

+ * [[tigerishly]]

+ * [[tigerishness]]

+ * [[tigerlike]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[tigress]]

+ * [[tiger lily]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}