Etymology

cheetah

C3H4E1E1T1A1H4

Today it means: 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. Full definition →

Hindi चीता ← Sanskrit चित्र
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The story

  1. Sanskrit · derived fromचित्र“multicolored, speckled”
  2. Hindi · borrowed fromचीता“leopard, panther”
  3. English todaycheetah

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”.

Words from the same roots

Sanskritचित्र all →

chital

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.