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Naming the Tiger in the Early Modern World

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

David Thorley
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Abstract

The English word tiger has an uncertain etymology and a curious history of use. Probably first seen in Europe in the fourth century BCE, the tiger, by the early modern age, had acquired a long history of folkloric associations. This article examines early modern uses of the word tiger in the context of the period’s linguistic debates about natural and conventional meaning. It seeks to present a history in which the word, through use, develops closer (if not necessarily natural) associations with the qualities of its referent.

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Research Article
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Renaissance Quarterly , Volume 70 , Issue 3 , Fall 2017 , pp. 977 - 1006
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 Renaissance Society of America

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