jaguar

the word 'jaguar' entered the english language in the early 17th century from portuguese 'jaguar', which itself was borrowed from the tupi-guarani language family of south america, specifically from the tupi word 'jaguara', meaning 'carnivore' or, more broadly, 'wild beast that kills its prey in a single bound'. this term was applied by indigenous peoples to the largest and most powerful feline predator in the americas. unlike many scientific or technical terms derived from latin or greek, 'jaguar' is a direct cultural import, its form and meaning preserved through european exploration and colonization of the new world. its adoption into english reflects the direct naming of a new-world animal for which no old-world equivalent or existing english term existed.

this word is a loanword from a south american indigenous language, adopted into english via portuguese. it is not productively formed from classical roots within english and therefore is not segmented.