leopard (English)

Where does "leopard" come from?

The word leopard traces its roots back through Middle English and Old French to the late Ancient Greek term leópardos, a compound of léōn (lion) and párdos (panther). This Greek term likely originated from an ancient Persian root that also gave rise to various related terms for the spotted cat found in languages like Sanskrit and Pashto. Over centuries, the word traveled from these ancient origins into Latin and finally into English, eventually settling into its modern identity.

Full etymology tree

• leopard (English), 'Panthera pardus, a large wild cat with a spotted coat native to Africa and Asia, especially the male of the species (in contrast to leopardess).'
  • inherited leopard (Middle English)
    • borrowed leopard (Old French)
      • inherited leopardus (Latin), 'leopard'
        • inherited λεόπαρδος (leópardos) (Ancient Greek), 'may denote a leopard; at least after Pliny, a leopon/lipard (see also πάρδος/pard for the contemporary word for the leopard species)'
          • compound λέων (léōn) (Ancient Greek), 'lion'
          • compound πάρδος (párdos) (Ancient Greek), 'synonym of πάρδαλις (párdalis, “leopard, panther”)'
            • influence palang (Middle Persian)
              • inherited پلنگ (palang) (Persian), 'panther'

Direct ancestors

• leopardus (Latin)
• λεόπαρδος (Ancient Greek)
• پړانګ (Pashto)
• پلنگ (Persian)
• पृदाकु (Sanskrit)

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris