Where does “Chita” come from?
Chita (English) comes from English cheetah, from Hindi चीता, from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀘𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀕, from Sanskrit चित्रक, from Sanskrit चित्र, from Proto-Indo-Iranian čitrás, from Proto-Indo-European *kit-ró-s.
Ancestry of “Chita”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | cheetah | A distinctive member of the cat family, slightly... |
| 2 | Hindi | चीता | cheetah; leopard |
| 3 | Sauraseni Prakrit | 𑀘𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀢𑀕 | — |
| 4 | Sanskrit | चित्रक | leopard |
| 5 | Sanskrit | चित्र | bright, conspicuous, visible, clear, loud,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | čitrás | bright, clear, shining |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | *kit-ró-s | — |