Lionet

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A young or small lion, sometimes used in poetry, literature, or heraldry to describe the animal in a diminutive form
2. The diminutive form of a lion, referring to a small or young member of the big cat species
3. A little lion, a term used for a young or undersized lion in descriptive writing and in heraldic art

Etymology: "Lionet" is simply a small lion: the word is formed from "lion" with the diminutive suffix "-et", borrowed from French, which attaches the same sense of smallness to nouns. French diminutives such as "ballet" (little dance) or "cabinet" (little room) use the same ending, so English speakers borrowing words like "lionet" were following a familiar pattern. The word's history is plain: it is a transparent combination of an existing English noun and a suffix, and it works in the same way as "islet" (little island) or "owlet" (young owl). Its sense is literal and has changed little since it was formed.

Synonyms: lion cub, cub, whelp