An archaic or heraldic term for a cheetah or similar spotted big cat, used in heraldry and medieval texts.
From Old French guepard or gepard, borrowed from Arabic or Persian sources ultimately. Related to 'leopard,' it reflects medieval linguistic confusion about African cats and their names across different languages.
In medieval heraldry, guepard, leopard, and panther were often used interchangeably because Europeans rarely saw these animals and relied on secondhand descriptions—coats of arms sometimes showed cats that couldn't possibly exist in nature.
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