cougar

English

Alternative forms

• couguar

Etymology

From French couguar, from Portuguese cuguardo, a deformation of Brazilian Portuguese suçuarana (earlier çuçuarana), perhaps from Old Tupi suasuarana (“deerlike animal”), from suasú (“deer”); compare sɨwasuarána (“cervine”)) or perhaps from Guaraní guaçuara).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkuːɡə/, , /ˈkuːɡɑː/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkuɡɚ/,

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

cougar (plural cougars)

1. Puma concolor, a wild feline native to the Americas.

   Synonyms: catamount, catamountain, mountain lion, painter, panther, puma, red tiger

   Hyponym: Florida panther

   • 1792, Georges-Louis Leclerc, anonymous translator, Buffon's Natural History, volume 7, London: Printed by J.S. Barr, Bridges-Street, Covent-Garden, translation of original in French:

     They are found in Brasil, Paraguay, and in the country of the Amazons; and there is reason to believe that the animal, described by some travellers, under the name of the Ocorome, in Peru, is the same as the cougar, as well as that in the country of the Iroquois, which has been considered as a tiger, thought it is neither striped like that animal, nor spotted like the panther.

   • 1831, Francis Smith Eastman, A history of the state of New York:

     The Cougar has entirely disappeared, or is very rarely met with. This animal was about the size of the wolf, of a gray color, strong, active, fierce and untameable.

   • 1854, “The cougar, and an adventure with one”, in The Anglo-American Magazine, volume 4, page 84:

     The only indigenous long tailed cat in America north of the parallel of 30 degrees is the cougar. The wild cats, so called, are lynxes with short tails; and of these there are three distinct species.

   • 2013 November 14, Alexa Keefe, Steve Winter, “A Cougar Ready for His Closeup”, in National Geographic‎, archived from the original on 2021-03-01:

     Winter’s task was to illustrate cougars—also known as mountain lions—in an urban environment. His research led him to biologist Jeff Sikich, whose work with a mountain lion population in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area on the outskirts of L.A. seemed promising.

2. (Canada, US, slang) An older woman who actively seeks the casual, often sexual, companionship of younger men, by implication a female “sexual predator”.

   Hypernyms: cradle robber, cradle snatcher, manther

   Coordinate terms: cub, MILF, sugar mama, toy boy

   A cougar approached Warren at the Palomino Club and asked for a dance.

   • :

     I am 26 years old and in a respectful but super-sexual relationship with a recent divorcée in her 40s. (A "cougar," in local slang.)]

   • 2010, “Home Wreckers”, in How I Met Your Mother, season 5, episode 20 (television production):

     Barney Stinson: She's a cougar, Ted! / Robin Scherbatsky: I thought you said you can't be a cougar if you're over 50.

   • 2011, Donna McDonald, Dating A Cougar, →ISBN:

     “Younger can be good. How much younger?” Regina asked, inspecting the appetizer plates for any lingering bites. “I don't know,” Alexa said frowning. “Why does that matter?” “Less than eight years makes you a Puma. Over eight years makes you a Cougar,” Regina said wisely, grinning as Lauren nodded excitedly in agreement.

Derived terms

• cougarhood
• cougaring
• cougarish
• cougarlike

Translations

References

Further reading

• Cougar on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Jonathon Green (2024) “cougar n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ku.ɡaʁ/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

cougar m (plural cougars)

1. cougar (the wild feline)

Noun

cougar f (plural cougars)

1. (informal) cougar (an older woman who actively seeks the casual, often sexual, companionship of younger men)

See also

• puma
• mangeuse d’hommes