The English wordtigerhas 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 wordtigerin 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.

中文翻译：

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在早期现代世界中命名老虎

英文单词老虎有一个不确定的词源和奇怪的使用历史。老虎可能在公元前四世纪首次出现在欧洲，到了近代早期，已经获得了悠久的民间传说历史。这篇文章探讨了这个词的早期现代用法老虎在这一时期关于自然意义和传统意义的语言辩论的背景下。它试图呈现一个历史，在这个历史中，这个词通过使用与它所指的品质发展出更紧密的（如果不一定是自然的）关联。