# tiger

Pronunciation: US say "TY-gur" /ˈtaɪɡɚ/; UK say "TY-guh" /ˈtaɪɡə/

## Noun

1. A large wild cat of Asia with orange fur and black stripes; sometimes specifically the male, as opposed to the tigress.
   - Simple: A big wild cat from Asia with orange fur and black stripes.
   - _The tiger stalked through the tall grass, barely making a sound._
   - _Wild tigers once ranged across much of Asia but now survive in scattered pockets._
2. A fierce, determined, or energetic person, including someone regarded as particularly vigorous during sex.
   - Simple: A fierce, determined, or very energetic person, sometimes someone very lively during sex.
   - _The new prosecutor was a tiger, tearing into every witness without mercy._
   - _Behind that quiet smile is a tiger who never backs down from a fight._
3. A comparatively small nation, or a group of such nations, whose economy is expanding rapidly.
   - Simple: A small country whose economy is growing very fast.
   - _Economists pointed to South Korea as a tiger whose exports doubled within a decade._
   - _These small Asian tigers transformed their economies in a single generation._
4. An extinct striped marsupial predator of Tasmania and mainland Australia, Thylacinus cynocephalus, also called the thylacine.
   - Simple: An extinct meat-eating animal from Tasmania with stripes on its back.
5. Any of the extinct saber-toothed cats of the subfamily Machairodontinae, named for their long, curved upper canines.
   - Simple: An extinct big cat with very long, curved upper teeth.
   - _Visitors crowded around the skeleton of a saber-toothed tiger, its upper canines curving down well below its jaw._
   - _Despite its name, the saber-toothed tiger was only a distant cousin of the striped cats found in Asia today._
6. A predatory beetle of fast, agile habits, known for chasing down smaller insects.
   - Simple: A fast-running beetle that hunts and eats other small insects.
7. A moth of the subfamily Arctiinae (formerly the family Arctiidae), typically marked with bold stripes or spots on its wings.
   - Simple: A moth with brightly patterned wings, often striped or spotted.
   - _A garden tiger, its wings boldly blotched in cream and brown, settled on the window screen._
   - _The hairy caterpillars of these tigers feed on weeds before spinning their cocoons._
8. A leopard, the large spotted cat of Africa and Asia, in older or regional English usage. *(South Africa)*
   - Simple: A leopard, the large spotted cat of Africa and Asia, in older or regional speech.
   - _The old farmer told of the tiger in the Cape mountains, a big spotted cat that took his sheep._
   - _Locals warned travelers about tigers in the hills, the lithe spotted cats that hauled their kills into trees._

## Noun

9. A jaguar, the large spotted cat of Central and South America. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A jaguar, the big spotted cat of the Americas.
10. A liveried servant who rides in attendance on his master or mistress. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A servant in a smart uniform who rode along with his master or mistress.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A boldly striped butterfly of the tribe Danaini, especially the subtribe Danaina, named for markings that recall the big cat.
- (noun) A final shouted word or phrase ending a cheer, delivered with a jump or outstretched arms.
- (noun) Any of the three Australian dragonfly species of the genus Ictinogomphus, marked with black-and-yellow stripes.
- (noun) A stylized, mythical cat-like beast depicted on a coat of arms in heraldry.
- (noun) A pan or box operated pneumatically and employed in sugar refining.

## Origin

Middle English tygre had two sources, Old English tigras and Anglo-Norman tigre, both from Latin tigris and Ancient Greek τίγρις (tígris). The Greek word was taken from an Iranian language (compare Avestan tigri, "arrow," and tiγra, "pointed") and may ultimately come from *(s)teyg-, a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to pierce, prick, be sharp," which is also behind English stick.

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