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]