Adjacent Words

Tiger definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TI'GER, n. [L. tigris.] A fierce and rapacious animal of the genus Felis, one of the largest and most terrible of the genus, inhabiting Africa and Asia. The American tiger is the Felis onca. There is also the tiger cat or Felis capensis.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a fierce or audacious person; "he's a tiger on the tennis court"; "it aroused the tiger in me"
2: large feline of forests in most of Asia having a tawny coat with black stripes; endangered [syn: tiger, Panthera tigris]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural tigers) Etymology: Middle English tigre, from Old English tiger & Anglo-French tigre, both from Latin tigris, from Greek, probably of Iranian origin; akin to Avestan tighra- pointed; akin to Greek stizein to tattoo — more at stick Date: before 12th century 1. plural also tiger a. a large Asian carnivorous mammal (Panthera tigris) of the cat family having a usually tawny coat transversely striped with black b. any of several large wildcats (as the jaguar or cougar) c. a domestic cat with striped pattern d. Australian Tasmanian tiger 2. a. a fierce, daring, or aggressive person or quality <aroused the tiger in him> <a tiger for work> b. one (as a situation) that is formidable or impossible to control <how the tiger of inflation can be tamed — J. A. Davenport> — often used in the phrases ride a tiger and have a tiger by the tail 3. British a groom in livery • tigerish adjective • tigerishly adverb • tigerishness noun • tigerlike adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a large Asian flesh-eating feline, Panthera tigris, having a yellow-brown coat with black stripes. 2 a fierce, energetic, or formidable person. Phrases and idioms: tiger beetle any flesh-eating beetle of the family Cicindelidae, with spotted or striped wing-covers. tiger-cat 1 any moderate-sized feline resembling the tiger, e.g. the ocelot, serval, or margay. 2 Austral. any of various flesh-eating marsupials of the genus Dasyurus, including the Tasmanian devil. tiger-eye (or tiger's-eye) 1 a yellow-brown striped gem of brilliant lustre. 2 US a pottery-glaze of similar appearance. tiger lily a tall garden lily, Lilium tigrinum, with flowers of dull orange spotted with black or purple. tiger moth any moth of the family Arctiidae, esp. Arctia caja, having richly spotted and streaked wings suggesting a tiger's skin. tiger-wood a striped or streaked wood used for cabinet-making. Derivatives: tigerish adj. tigerishly adv. Etymology: ME f. OF tigre f. L tigris f. Gk tigris

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tiger Ti"ger, n. [OE. tigre, F. tigre, L. tigris, Gr. ti`gris; probably of Persian origin; cf. Zend tighra pointed, tighri an arrow, Per. t[=i]r; perhaps akin to E. stick, v.t.; -- probably so named from its quickness.] 1. A very large and powerful carnivore (Felis tigris) native of Southern Asia and the East Indies. Its back and sides are tawny or rufous yellow, transversely striped with black, the tail is ringed with black, the throat and belly are nearly white. When full grown, it equals or exceeds the lion in size and strength. Called also royal tiger, and Bengal tiger. 2. Fig.: A ferocious, bloodthirsty person. As for heinous tiger, Tamora. --Shak. 3. A servant in livery, who rides with his master or mistress. --Dickens. 4. A kind of growl or screech, after cheering; as, three cheers and a tiger. [Colloq. U. S.] 5. A pneumatic box or pan used in refining sugar. American tiger. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The puma. (b) The jaguar. Clouded tiger (Zo["o]l.), a handsome striped and spotted carnivore (Felis macrocelis or F. marmorata) native of the East Indies and Southern Asia. Its body is about three and a half feet long, and its tail about three feet long. Its ground color is brownish gray, and the dark markings are irregular stripes, spots, and rings, but there are always two dark bands on the face, one extending back from the eye, and one from the angle of the mouth. Called also tortoise-shell tiger. Mexican tiger (Zo["o]l.), the jaguar. Tiger beetle (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of active carnivorous beetles of the family Cicindelid[ae]. They usually inhabit dry or sandy places, and fly rapidly. Tiger bittern. (Zo["o]l.) See Sun bittern, under Sun. Tiger cat (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of wild cats of moderate size with dark transverse bars or stripes somewhat resembling those of the tiger. Tiger flower (Bot.), an iridaceous plant of the genus Tigridia (as T. conchiflora, T. grandiflora, etc.) having showy flowers, spotted or streaked somewhat like the skin of a tiger. Tiger grass (Bot.), a low East Indian fan palm (Cham[ae]rops Ritchieana). It is used in many ways by the natives. --J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants). Tiger lily. (Bot.) See under Lily. Tiger moth (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of moths of the family Arctiad[ae] which are striped or barred with black and white or with other conspicuous colors. The larv[ae] are called woolly bears. Tiger shark (Zo["o]l.), a voracious shark (Galeocerdo maculatus or tigrinus) more or less barred or spotted with yellow. It is found in both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Called also zebra shark. Tiger shell (Zo["o]l.), a large and conspicuously spotted cowrie (Cypr[ae]a tigris); -- so called from its fancied resemblance to a tiger in color and markings. Called also tiger cowrie. Tiger wolf (Zo["o]l.), the spotted hyena (Hy[ae]na crocuta). Tiger wood, the variegated heartwood of a tree (Mach[ae]rium Schomburgkii) found in Guiana.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(tigers) A tiger is a large fierce animal belonging to the cat family. Tigers are orange with black stripes. N-COUNT see also paper tiger

Moby Thesaurus

Achilles, David, Hector, Leo, Mafioso, Roland, Samson, Siberian tiger, Young Turk, a man, animal, anthropophagite, bank, barbarian, beast, beldam, berserk, berserker, bobcat, bomber, brave, brute, bulldog, cannibal, cat-a-mountain, catamount, cheetah, chutzpanik, cougar, decorated hero, demigod, demigoddess, demon, destroyer, devil, dragon, fiend, fighting cock, fire-eater, firebrand, fury, gallant, gamecock, good soldier, goon, gorilla, gunsel, hardnose, hell-raiser, hellcat, hellhound, hellion, hero, heroine, holy terror, hood, hoodlum, hothead, hotspur, hyena, incendiary, jackpot, jaguar, killer, kitty, leopard, lion, lynx, mad dog, madcap, man of courage, man-eater, monster, mountain lion, mugger, nihilist, ocelot, painter, paladin, panther, pool, pot, puma, rapist, revolutionary, savage, shark, she-wolf, simba, spitfire, stakes, stalwart, termagant, terror, terrorist, the brave, tigress, tough, tough guy, ugly customer, valiant, valiant knight, vandal, violent, virago, vixen, wild beast, wild man, wildcat, witch, wolf, wrecker