Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tiger” come from?

Tiger comes from Middle English tygre, from Old English tigras, from Latin tigris, from Ancient Greek τίγρις, a word of uncertain origin.

tiger (English): "Panthera tigris", a large predatory mammal of...

Definitions

  1. "Panthera tigris", a large predatory mammal of...

Ancestry of “tiger”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtygretiger; A dangerous or ferocious individual
2Old Frenchtigretiger; tigress
3Latintīgris—
4Ancient GreekΤίγρις—
5Old Persian𐎫𐎡𐎥𐎼𐎠—
6Akkadian𒀀𒇉𒈦𒄘𒃼—
7Sumerian𒀀𒇉𒈦𒄘𒃼as fast as an arrow

Words derived from “tiger”

  • tigerskin
  • tigerfish
  • tigerlike
  • weretiger
  • tigerhood
  • tigery
  • tigerwood
  • tigerstripe
  • tigerly
  • tigerless
  • tigerdom
  • she-tiger
  • teigrod
  • teigr
  • tiger
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