Other forms: lions
A lion is the king of the animals, with a big mane. A pride of lions, a lion roars, the lion's share.
Only the male has the mane and it darkens with age; the females do most of the hunting and lions are the only cats that live in groups. The lion's share means most of it, from a fable where the lion takes everything. Note lioness; and that the animal is the emblem of England, though none has lived wild in Europe for millennia.
1nounlionA large wild cat with a mane, living in prides.
“The lion lay in the shade, watching the zebras in the distance.”
lion is an animal.
Old French lion comes from Latin leo, from Greek leon, of unclear origin. Leo and Lyon come from the same word.
Ancient Greek
λέων
Latin
leō
Old French
lion
Middle English
lyoun
English, today
lion
From Middle English lyoun, lion, leon, borrowed from Old French lion, from Latin leō, (accusative: leōnem), from Ancient Greek λέων, of unclear origin. a doublet of Leo and leu and lev and Lyon. Displaced Old English lēo, from the same Latin source.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA