rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycheetahFast spotted wild cat
noun

cheetah

CHEE-tuh/ˈtʃiːtə/

A very fast spotted wild cat native to Africa and Asia.

The cheetah sprints with its slender body stretched above the grass.

A single cheetah sprinting across a sparse patch of dry grass, with its slender body, solid black spots, facial tear marks and long balancing tail clearly visible.
Etymology
cheetahSanskrithunting leopard; speckled

Sanskrit chitraka named a hunting leopard and literally meant “speckled.” The name thus points to the cat's spotted coat, while the intermediate Hindi word meant “leopard.”

In context

WildEarth0:39
the cheetah has immense speed but the gazelle has endurance and agility the cheetah skill combined with the inexperience of the young gazelle is a lethal combination
safariLIVE speeds after the planet's fastest land mammal, the cheetah!

More examples

  • A cheetah rested in the shade.
  • Several cheetahs watched the herd.
  • The cheetah's black tear marks were clearly visible.

Forms

cheetah · cheetahs

Similar words

leopard
Has rosettes and a stockier build than a cheetah.
jaguar
A stockier American cat with spots inside its rosettes.