cheetah
noun/ˈt͡ʃiːtə/ · /ˈt͡ʃiːtɑ/
Etymology Borrowed from Hindi चीता (cītā, “leopard, panther”), ultimately from Sanskrit चित्र (citra, “multicolored, speckled”) (akin to Old High German haitar (“bright”) > German heiter; Old Norse heiðr (“bright”)) + Sanskrit काय (kāya, “body”), thus “having a spotted body”.
1
Biology, Natural sciences, Zoology A distinctive member (Acinonyx jubatus) of the cat family, slightly smaller than the leopard, but with proportionately longer limbs and a smaller head; native to Africa and southeast Asia (where it is nearly extinct) and also credited with being the fastest terrestrial animal.
- Synonyms
- guepard, hunting cat, hunting leopard
- Derived terms
- American cheetah, cheetahlike, do cheetah flips, giant cheetah, king cheetah