cheetah

• chetah, cheeta (archaic)

Borrowed from Hindi चीता (cītā, “leopard, panther”), ultimately from Sanskrit चित्र (citra, “multicolored, speckled”) (akin to Old High German haitar (“bright”) [1] > German heiter; Old Norse heiðr (“bright”)) + Sanskrit काय (kāya, “body”), thus “having a spotted body”.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtʃiːtə/
• Rhymes: -iːtə
• Homophone: cheater (in non-rhotic accents)

cheetah (plural cheetahs)

1. A distinctive member (Acinonyx jubatus) of the cat family, slightly smaller than the leopard, but with proportionately longer limbs and a smaller head. It is native to Africa and also credited with being the fastest terrestrial animal.

• hunting leopard, hunting cat

• American cheetah (Miracinonyx trumanii)

• cheetah on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Acinonyx jubatus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Acinonyx jubatus on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons