lion

Etymology

From Middle English lyoun, lion, leon, borrowed from Old French lion, from Latin leō, (accusative: leōnem), from Ancient Greek λέων (léōn). Some argue that it is a borrowing from a Semitic language; however evidence is not clear and the relation with Proto-Semitic *labiʾ- is not solid. Semitic "labi/lavi" could either be a parent term to the Greek one or both could have evolved independently from a now lost root. Doublet of Leo, leu, lev, and Lyon.

noun

1. A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe.
   Tigers and lions share a common ancestor from a few million years ago.
   1. (in particular) A male lion, as opposed to a lioness.
2. (by extension) Any of various extant and extinct big cats, especially the mountain lion.
3. A Chinese foo dog.
4. An individual who shows strength and courage, attributes associated with the lion.
   It was said of [Edward Plantaganet] that 'he was a lion for pride and ferocity but a pard for inconstancy and changeableness, not keeping his word or promise but excusing himself with fair words'. 2003, Peter Armstrong, Angus McBride, Stirling Bridge & Falkirk 1297–98: William Wallace's Rebellion
5. A famous person regarded with interest and curiosity.
   The men were delighted to go, and became the lions of the following season in Adelaide. 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 84
   Heated comments were exchanged, and, before anyone could say, "festival," the two lions of the folk power structure were rolling in the dirt. 1965 August, Mississippi Phil Ochs, “The Newport Fuzz Festival”, in The Realist, number 61, retrieved 2022-11-13, page 11
6. A light brown color that resembles the fur of a lion.
   lion:
7. (historical) An old Scottish coin, with a lion on the obverse, worth 74 shillings.

adj

1. Of the light brown color that resembles the fur of a lion.