Jaguara
/ˌdʒæɡuˈɑːrə/noun
An obsolete or variant English name for the jaguar, a large spotted cat native to the Americas.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes through Spanish and Portuguese forms from Tupí-Guaraní, rather than from any European word for cat or leopard.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Columbian period
Tupí-Guaraní
yaguará
“A wild beast or fierce animal; the source of later names for the jaguar.”
16th Century
Spanish
jaguara
“A jaguar or large American predator, recorded in Spanish descriptions of the Americas.”
16th–17th Century
Portuguese
jaguara
“A jaguar; a variant reflecting Indigenous South American pronunciation and spelling.”
17th–18th Century
English
jaguara
“An English variant or earlier form of jaguar.”
Modern English
English
jaguara
“An obsolete or rare variant of jaguar, now largely replaced by jaguar.”
Explore more surprising origins