lion

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A large wild cat with a tan coat, the males having a shaggy mane, native to Africa and India.

   The lion roared across the open plain.

2. 2
   noun

   A brave or strong person.

   He fought like a lion to protect his family.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Lion entered Middle English from French and ultimately derives from Greek leōn. It replaced the Latin form Leo, which the Anglo-Saxons had used for the animal and which survives as the name of a constellation and zodiac sign.

From Middle English lyoun, lion, leon, borrowed from Old French lion, from Latin leō, (accusative: leōnem), from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn), of unclear origin. Doublet of Leo, leu, lev, and Lyon. Displaced Old English lēo, from the same Latin source.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary