leopard

IPA/ˈlepəd/
KK[lˈɛpɚd]IPA/ˈlepərd/

leopard — noun

  • leopardsingular
  • leopardsplural

1. a powerful wild cat native to much of Africa as well as parts of southern Asia,

1.nounB1
Definition

a powerful wild cat native to much of Africa as well as parts of southern Asia, with a golden or yellow-brown coat marked by ring-shaped black spots, and known for climbing trees.

Example

Noa watched a leopard rest on a tall branch above the dry river.

typical scene: leopard resting in a tree

The leopard moved silently through the long grass towards a young deer.

collocation: leopard moves through grass / hunts prey

Common collocations
  • a spotted leopard
  • a wild leopard
  • spot a leopard
  • track a leopard
Synonyms
  • panther

    in some regions used for a black-coated leopard; not a true separate species

  • big cat

    general term covering leopards, tigers, lions, and similar

Grammar Patterns

a leopard

leopards

Usage Note

Often used in nature, travel, and conservation contexts. The plural 'leopards' is used for the species in general; the singular with 'a' or 'the' is used for one animal in a scene.

Common Mistakes

I saw a leopard with brown lines on its back.
I saw a leopard with brown spots on its back.
A leopard has spots, not lines or stripes (those belong to a tiger).
A leopard lives in the jungle of South America.
A leopard lives in parts of Africa and southern Asia.
Leopards live in Africa and southern Asia, not South America (the spotted big cat in the Americas is the jaguar).

2. the spotted skin or hair taken from a leopard, used long ago for coats, rugs, or

2.nounB2
Definition

the spotted skin or hair taken from a leopard, used long ago for coats, rugs, or wall decorations, and now mostly banned in many countries to protect the animal.

Example

An old leopard rug from the 1920s lay on the floor of Quinn's grandfather's study.

antique context: old leopard rug

In most countries today, it is illegal to import or sell real leopard.

register: legal / conservation, headword as uncountable material

Common collocations
  • leopard coat
  • leopard rug
  • leopard skin
  • trimmed with leopard
Synonyms
  • leopard skin

    more explicit; emphasises that it is the animal's hide

  • leopard fur

    focuses on the hair rather than the whole hide

Grammar Patterns

leopard coat

leopard rug

wearing leopard

Usage Note

Distinct from sense 1 (the living animal). Here the word names the material — fur and skin — and is usually uncountable. Often appears before another noun, as in 'leopard coat' or 'leopard rug'. Note that 'leopard print', meaning a pattern that copies the spots, is different — it does not require any real animal.

Common Mistakes

She wore a leopard skirt to the party.
She wore a leopard-print skirt to the party.
In modern English, clothing with the spotted pattern is described as 'leopard-print', because the cloth only copies the pattern; 'leopard' on its own suggests real fur.

Word family

  • leopardess
    nounC1
  • leopard-like
    adjectiveC1
  • snow leopard
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words name large spotted or solid-coloured wild cats, but learners often mix them up. A leopard lives in Africa and southern Asia and has rings of black spots called rosettes on a golden coat; it is a strong climber and often rests in trees. A jaguar looks similar but lives in Central and South America, is heavier and stronger, and its rosettes usually have a small dot inside. A cheetah, also from Africa, has solid round black spots and is built for speed rather than climbing, with a slimmer body and a small head. The word panther is less precise — in Africa and Asia it often means a black-coated leopard, and in the Americas it can mean a black-coated jaguar or even a mountain lion. For example, a guide in Kenya might point at a tree and say 'leopard', while a guide in Brazil would say 'jaguar' for the same kind of scene.

leopard ↗jaguar ↗cheetah ↗panther ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • leopard cub
  • leopard spots
  • snow leopard
  • leopard population
  • leopard habitat

Phrases

  • spot a leopard
  • track a leopard
  • protect leopards

Prepositions

  • of (a leopard)
  • from (the leopard)

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word leopard came into English in the Middle Ages through Old French 'leupart', from Late Latin 'leopardus'. The Latin form joins the Greek 'leon' (lion) with 'pardos' (a spotted big cat). Early writers wrongly thought the leopard was a cross between a lion and a pard, so the name records an old, mistaken idea about how the animal was born.