leopard

/ˈlɛpərd/

/ˈlɛpəd/

Other forms: leopards

A leopard is a large feline, a very distant relative of the sweet kitty purring on your lap. A member of the panther family, the leopard is extinct in some regions and considered vulnerable in others.

Leopards look similar to jaguars; they both have distinctive rose-shaped markings that act as camouflage, though leopards are slightly smaller and lighter. In rare cases when a leopard's melanin makes it appear totally black, it's called a black panther. The name of this large cat comes from an ancient belief that it was half lion and half panther — the Greek root leopardos means "lion-panther."

Definitions of leopard

1. noun

   large feline of African and Asian forests usually having a tawny coat with black spots
   synonyms: Panthera pardus

   types:

   leopardess

   female leopard

   panther

   a leopard in the black color phase

   type of:

   big cat, cat

   any of several large cats typically able to roar and living in the wild
2. noun

   the pelt of a leopard
   type of:

   fur, pelt

   the dressed hairy coat of a mammal