The word 'Cheetah' is derived from which language?

The English word "cheetah" comes from the Hindi word "cheeta", which in turn comes from the Sanskrit word "chitraka" (or "chitra"), meaning "spotted" or "variegated". This refers to the solid black spots on the cheetah's golden coat. The word entered English during the British period in India, in the 18th century.

About the cheetah:

• Its scientific name is Acinonyx jubatus.
• It is the fastest land animal in the world, able to reach speeds of about 100-120 km per hour in short bursts.
• Unlike other big cats, it has non-retractable claws (which help grip the ground while running) and black "tear lines" running from its eyes to its mouth.
• It hunts by day, relying on speed rather than strength.

The cheetah and India:

• The Asiatic cheetah once lived across India, and the Mughal emperor Akbar is said to have kept about 1,000 cheetahs for hunting.
• The last known cheetahs in India were shot in 1947 by Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya (in present-day Chhattisgarh).

The Government of India declared the cheetah extinct in India in 1952. It is the only large mammal to have become extinct in India since independence.

Under "Project Cheetah", eight African cheetahs from Namibia were released into Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on 17 September 2022, and 12 more were brought from South Africa in 2023. This was the world's first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore. Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is the second site chosen for cheetahs.

Today, the Asiatic cheetah survives only in Iran, in very small numbers.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Persian gave English words such as "bazaar" and "pyjama".
• ✗Arabic gave words such as "algebra" and "sugar".
• ✗Portuguese gave Indian languages words such as "almari" and "chabi" (key).