cheetah

== English == === Alternative forms === chetah, cheeta (archaic) === Etymology === Borrowed from Hindi चीता (cītā, “leopard, panther”), ultimately from Sanskrit चित्र (citra, “multicolored, speckled”) (akin to Old High German haitar (“bright”) > German heiter; Old Norse heiðr (“bright”)) + Sanskrit काय (kāya, “body”), thus “having a spotted body”. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃiːtə/, /ˈt͡ʃiːtɑ/ Rhymes: -iːtə Homophones: Chita; cheater (non-rhotic) === Noun === cheetah (plural cheetahs) (zoology) A distinctive member (Acinonyx jubatus) of the cat family, slightly smaller than the leopard, but with proportionately longer limbs and a smaller head; native to Africa and southeast Asia (where it is nearly extinct) and also credited with being the fastest terrestrial animal. ==== Synonyms ==== guepard (archaic), hunting cat, hunting leopard ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Portuguese: chita → Spanish: chita ==== Translations ==== === References === cheetah on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Acinonyx jubatus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies Category:Acinonyx jubatus on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons