painter

dial. var. of panther

DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.

a large, wild cat, Felis concolor, once common but now confined to southwestern Canada.

See: cougar

Quotations

1796

An American said he guessed it was the painters (so they call panthers). . . .

1844

. . . he laughed and told them that painters were a species of panther, not spotted, but tawny-coloured, and at times very dangerous.

1962

In every-day language the species is known as cougar, puma, painter, panther, mountain lion, catamount and simply lion.