panda

Where does the word "panda" come from? It comes from Nepali nigalya ponya, passing through French before entering English (1900s).

Panda’s story begins in Nepali: nigalya ponya meant “bamboo eater.” A name from the Himalayan foothills, originally referring to the red panda. By 1820s, the word had taken hold in French as panda. Frédéric Cuvier named the red panda in 1825; the giant panda took the name later. It reached English by 1900s as panda. Settled as the English name once the giant panda became widely known. Today, panda means a large black-and-white bear native to China that feeds mainly on bamboo.

1. Stage 1 · Nepali · 1800s nigalya ponya "bamboo eater", a name from the Himalayan foothills, originally referring to the red panda.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1820s panda "a bamboo-eating mammal", Frédéric Cuvier named the red panda in 1825; the giant panda took the name later.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s panda "a large black-and-white bamboo-eating mammal", settled as the English name once the giant panda became widely known.