leopard

IPA/ˈlepəd/
KK[lˈɛpɚd]IPA/ˈlepərd/

leopard — 名詞

  • leopardsingular
  • leopardsplural

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

1.名詞B1
釋義

豹；花豹

非洲與南亞的大型斑點野生貓科動物

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.

例句

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

Noa 看著一隻豹趴在乾涸河床上方的一根高樹枝上休息。

typical scene: leopard resting in a tree

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

那隻花豹悄悄地穿過長草，朝一頭小鹿走去。

collocation: leopard moves through grass / hunts prey

同義詞
  • 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

文法句型

a leopard

leopards

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞B2
釋義

豹皮；豹毛皮

取自豹的帶斑點毛皮，多為歷史用途

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.

例句

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

Quinn 祖父書房地板上鋪著一張一九二○年代的舊豹皮地毯。

antique context: old leopard rug

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

在大多數國家，現今進口或販售真正的豹皮都是違法的。

register: legal / conservation, headword as uncountable material

同義詞
  • leopard skin

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

  • leopard fur

    focuses on the hair rather than the whole hide

文法句型

leopard coat

leopard rug

wearing leopard

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.