Onca

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large wild feline native to the Americas, similar to a leopard but typically more robust; a term sometimes used to describe this powerful carnivorous mammal; a genus in the biological classification of big cats
2. Referring to a spotted jaguar species found in tropical regions of the Western Hemisphere; a common name for this apex predator known for its strength and distinctive coat; a classification category in zoology for certain large cats
3. Denoting a robust spotted cat native to American jungles; a designation in wildlife for a top predator with a muscular build and distinctive fur pattern; a taxonomic name grouping related big cats in the animal kingdom

Etymology: The jaguar's scientific name carries a word that began as a name for a different cat. Portuguese "onça" meant a big spotted cat and descends from Latin "lynx" through a Vulgar Latin form, "lyncea." The same line gave English "ounce" for the snow leopard, which came into English through Old French "once." Portuguese speakers in Brazil applied "onça" to the jaguar, a predator unfamiliar to Europe, so a European name for a different animal ended up on a South American cat. When the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus classified the jaguar, he kept this borrowed label and named it "Felis onca." The species now sits in the genus Panthera as Panthera onca.

Synonyms: jaguar