Home › Glossary › Letter T

tiger

Fauna
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A tiger is the largest feline, with a striped orange and black coat, symbolizing power, passion, and the sublime, awe-inspiring ferocity of nature.

Detailed Definition
The tiger burns bright in poetry as an icon of raw, untamable energy, often contrasted with the lamb to explore the problem of evil and the co-existence of beauty and violence. Its stripes serve as natural camouflage, representing the hidden aspects of fierce emotion. Poets invoke the tiger to convey imperial might, the burning intensity of desire, and the terrifying grandeur of the natural world that resists human moral categories. William Blake's "Tyger" remains the definitive poetic touchstone, asking what immortal hand could frame such fearful symmetry.
Example
Example in poetry:
William Blake's "The Tyger" famously asks: "Tyger, tyger, burning bright In the forests of the night".; A poet might write, "A tiger soundly sleeping, till one day A bold young hunter chanced to come that way".; The tiger can symbolize power and passion.; Its stripes represent the sublime.; The animal's role in Blake's work is noted.
Additional Notes
William Blake's "The Tyger" remains the definitive poetic touchstone for the tiger, asking what immortal hand could frame such fearful symmetry. The tiger's stripes, which serve as natural camouflage, represent the hidden aspects of fierce emotion and the sublime, awe-inspiring ferocity of nature. In Indian and Bengali poetry, the tiger appears as a figure of the jungle's power, a creature both feared and respected. Poets invoke the tiger to convey imperial might, the burning intensity of desire, and the terrifying grandeur of the natural world that resists human moral categories. When writing, consider whether your tiger represents the sublime, the passionate, or the relentless, and be mindful of Blake's enduring influence.
Also Known As
striped sovereign jungle monarch orange fury
Skip to main content