Panthera

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A diverse genus of large felids noted for their impressive physical characteristics and include notable species such as lions, tigers, and leopards
2. A classification of robust and fierce carnivorous cats that features well-known members like jaguars, cougars, and tigers in their ranks
3. A genus comprising several big cat species known for their strength and agility

Etymology: Panthera is the scientific genus name for the big cats that can roar, a group that includes lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars. The name is a Latinized form of Greek "panthēr," itself a word of uncertain origin, and the Greek word was borrowed into Latin as "panthera" for leopard or panther. Classical writers used it loosely for spotted cats, so the Latin term never had the precise zoological sense it carries today. The genus name was formally established by the German naturalist Lorenz Oken in 1816, who was classifying mammals in a systematic way. Taxonomists later debated where cougars and snow leopards belonged, and the boundaries shifted as genetic evidence accumulated. Cougars, for instance, were moved out of Panthera into the genus Puma, and the snow leopard was placed in Panthera for a long time before recent studies questioned its position. Note that the word is a genus, not an English vernacular term. The member cats are pantherine, a term often used in zoology, and the genus includes the four species most often called "big cats" that can roar.