cougar

Where does the word "cougar" come from? It comes from Tupi suasuarana, passing through Portuguese and French before entering English (1770s-1800s).

Cougar’s story begins in Tupi: suasuarana meant “a large wildcat (literally 'false deer').” A compound describing the large wildcat, later corrupted through transmission. By 1600s, the word had taken hold in Portuguese as çuçuarana. Georges Buffon's natural history spread a misreading of the Tupi name. From there it passed into French as cougar by 1770s. Corrupted in French natural history writing, notably by Buffon. It reached English by 1770s-1800s as cougar. Buffon's French 'couguar' reached English through translations of his work. Today, cougar means a large, tawny wild cat native to the Americas, also known as the puma or mountain lion.

1. Stage 1 · Tupi · pre-1500s suasuarana "a large wildcat (literally 'false deer')", a compound describing the large wildcat, later corrupted through transmission.
2. Stage 2 · Portuguese · 1600s çuçuarana "a large American wildcat", Georges Buffon's natural history spread a misreading of the Tupi name.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1770s cougar "a large American wildcat", corrupted in French natural history writing, notably by Buffon.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1770s-1800s cougar "a large wild cat native to the Americas, also called puma or mountain lion", Buffon's French 'couguar' reached English through translations of his work.