lion English · revision 6618

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1175|origins=grc λέων}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈlaɪən/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English leon, lyon, [[bor|fro|lion]], also directly [[m|la|leo|t=lion]] (accusative leōnem),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[grc|λέων|tr=léōn]] (genitive léontos),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) a word of unknown, perhaps non-Indo-European origin;^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline) Etymonline compares Hebrew lābī' and Egyptian forms, which Barnhart thinks unlikely sources.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) Old English had the word directly from Latin, as [[m|ang|lēo]], Anglian lēa.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ About 1175 in Barnhart, the late 12th century in Etymonline;^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) the OED counts Old English leo from about 825.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Latin word spread through the Germanic languages, as Dutch leeuw and German Löwe, and into Slavic and Celtic.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) Figurative use for a brave or a tyrannical person is from about 1200,^(Etymonline) and a celebrity much sought after is a lion from the 18th century.^(Collins 2023)^(AHD) The name was extended to other big cats, such as the mountain lion, from 1630,^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) and ironically to timid animals, as ''Cotswold lion'' for a sheep (16th century).^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) The ''lion's share'' is from 1701, and ''lion-hearted'' from 1708.^(Etymonline) Word Origins notes that the lions known in early Europe were Asiatic, not African, and that ''lions led by donkeys'' became a description of British soldiers in the First World War.^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 825 – Old English lēo.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1175 – leon, from French.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1200 – figuratively, a fierce person.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1630 – other big cats.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1701 – the lion's share.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A large [[predatory]] [[cat]] of Africa and India, with a tawny coat and, in the male, a shaggy [[mane]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A brave or strong person.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A famous or important person: ''a literary lion''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''the Lion'': the constellation and zodiac sign [[Leo]].^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[lionlike]]

+ * [[lionesque]]

+ * [[lionet]]

+ * [[lionheart]]

+ * [[dandelion]]

+ * [[liger]]

+ * [[lioness]]

+ * [[lionfish]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[leonine]]

+ * [[chameleon]]

+ * [[leopard]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}