# panther

Pronunciation: US say "PAN-ther" /ˈpænθɚ/; UK say "PAN-thuh" /ˈpænθə/

## Noun

1. A big cat with a black coat, a name given to several species but especially to the black leopard of Africa and Asia.
   - Simple: A big wild cat with black fur, especially a black leopard.
   - _Up close, you can still see faint spots hidden in the black panther's dark coat._
   - _A panther slipped through the undergrowth, its black coat blending into the forest shade._
2. Another name for the cougar, applied in particular to the Florida panther.
   - Simple: A cougar, especially one of the cougars that live in Florida.
   - _Wildlife officers fitted the young panther with a tracking collar and released it in the Everglades._
   - _Road signs near the Everglades warn drivers to watch for panthers crossing at night._
3. Any species of big cat classified in the genus Panthera, such as the lion, tiger, leopard, or jaguar.
   - Simple: Any of the big wild cats in the group called Panthera.
   - _Lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars are all panthers in the scientific sense._
   - _The study compared skull shapes across every living panther, from the lion to the snow leopard._
4. A woman, typically a young one, who pursues older men. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A young woman who goes after older men to date them.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In Greek mythology and in heraldry, a beast like a big cat, usually shown emitting flames and often with a many-colored hide; heraldic versions sometimes look almost like a horse.

## Origin

Ancient Greek pánthēr ("panther") became Latin panthēra and then Old French pantere, which gave Middle English panter, panther or pantere.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/panther (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).