panther

Where does the word "panther" come from? It comes from Greek panther, passing through Latin and Old French before entering English (1300s).

Panther’s story begins in Greek: panther meant “the powerful big cat.” Possibly from pan- (all) and ther (beast), for the powerful big cat. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as panthera. Carried into Latin for the same big cat. From there it passed into Old French as pantere by medieval. Carried into French for the same animal. It reached English by 1300s as panther. Settled as the English word for the dark-coated big cat. Today, panther means a large wild cat, especially a dark-coated leopard or jaguar.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient panther "the powerful big cat", possibly from pan- (all) and ther (beast), for the powerful big cat.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient panthera "big cat", carried into Latin for the same big cat.
3. Stage 3 · Old French · medieval pantere "big cat", carried into French for the same animal.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1300s panther "a large wild cat, often dark-coated", settled as the English word for the dark-coated big cat.