The word 'tiger' has traveled a long path into English, originating from an ancient Iranian language. It likely stems from a root meaning 'sharp' or 'pointed', an attribute perhaps describing the animal's swift, arrow-like movement or its sharp claws and teeth. This term was adopted into Ancient Greek as 'tigris', which also became the name of the Tigris River, metaphorically evoking its rapid, darting current. Latin borrowed the word from Greek, and it subsequently passed through Old French before entering Middle English, where its form stabilized to refer exclusively to the powerful striped feline.

The word 'tiger' is a simplex loanword. It entered English from Old French 'tigre', which derived from Latin 'tigris'. The Latin term was borrowed from Greek 'tigris', which itself is likely a loan from an Iranian source, such as Old Persian 'tigra-', meaning 'sharp' or 'pointed', or possibly from the Avestan word 'tighri-', meaning 'arrow'. Its functional role is as a monomorphemic noun.