Main Entry:

pan·da

Pronunciation:

\ˈpan-də\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French, perhaps from a language of the southeast Himalayas

Date:

1835

1 : red panda 2 : a large black-and-white mammal (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) of chiefly central China that feeds primarily on bamboo shoots and is now usually classified with the bears (family Ursidae) —called also giant panda

[panda illustration]