mountain lion

IPA/ˈmaʊntən laɪən/
IPA/ˈmaʊntn laɪən/

mountain lion — noun

1. a big wild cat that lives in the mountains and forests of the Americas, with a p

1.nounB2
Definition

a big wild cat that lives in the mountains and forests of the Americas, with a plain brownish coat and a long tail; also known as the puma or cougar.

Example

Hikers near Boulder spotted a mountain lion drinking from the cold stream.

spot a mountain lion + present participle (drinking)

The park ranger warned the campers that a mountain lion had been seen nearby.

Common collocations
  • spot a mountain lion
  • track a mountain lion
  • a mountain lion attack
Synonyms
  • puma

    the same animal; preferred in Britain and in scientific contexts

  • cougar

    the same animal; widely used across North America

  • catamount

    an older regional American name for the same cat

Usage Note

Often interchangeable with 'puma' and 'cougar' for the same animal; 'mountain lion' is the everyday name in western North America, while 'puma' is more common in Britain and in scientific writing.

Common Mistakes

Mountain lions live in Africa like other lions.
Mountain lions live in the Americas, not Africa.
despite the name, it is not a true lion and is found only in North and South America.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Mountain lion, puma, and cougar all name the very same big American cat — the difference is regional, not biological. 'Mountain lion' is the everyday term in the western United States, especially where the animal lives in rocky, high country. 'Cougar' is widely used across North America and is common in news reports and wildlife writing. 'Puma' is the usual choice in Britain and in scientific texts, and it is also the animal's genus name. 'Panther' is broader and trickier: it can mean a black leopard or jaguar, but in Florida the local population is called the Florida panther. So when you read 'panther', check the place before assuming it means this cat.

puma ↗cougar ↗panther ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • mountain lion sighting
  • protect mountain lion habitat

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The name joins two ordinary English words, 'mountain' and 'lion'. Early European settlers in the Americas saw a large, tawny cat roaming hilly, mountainous country and thought its plain coat looked like that of an African lioness, so they called it a 'mountain lion'. Both parts trace back through Old French to Latin — 'mons' for mountain and 'leo' for lion — but the compound itself is an American English coinage.

First known use

1615

1615, in the meaning defined above