Tigger

Etymology

From the name of the tiger friend of Winnie the Pooh, an alteration of tiger, which is a loanword derived from Latin tigris, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek τῐ́γρῐς (tígris), which is derived from Ancient Greek Τῐ́γρης (Tígrēs), Τῐ́γρῐς (Tígris, “the river Tigris”), ultimately from Sumerian 𒀀𒇉𒈦𒄘𒃼 (^ÍDIdigna, ^ÍDIdigina, “the river Tigris”, literally “fast as an arrow”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɪɡɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɪɡə/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡə(ɹ)

Noun

Tigger (plural Tiggers)

1. An overly enthusiastic or energetic person, often characterized by bouncing.
   • 1978, John Elsom and Nicholas Tomalin, The History of the National Theatre, Cape, →ISBN, pg. 257:

     Whereas Olivier, particularly when first nights approached in which he was appearing, invited protectiveness from those around him, Hall was sometimes like a Tigger whom others wanted to unbounce.

   • 1995, Mark Scott, Shakespearean Criticism: Excerpts from the Criticism of William Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry, from the First Published Appraisals to Current Evaluations, volume 26 of Shakespearean Criticism, Ed. Michael Magoulias, Gale Research Co., →ISBN, pg. 291:

     Never again, I trust, will I hear the play's first word ("If") so underlined as if there is philosophically every reason to doubt that music be the food of love, and never again, I trust, will I be led to find myself thinking in the first scene of Orsino as an understudy rehearsing King Lear in his opening scene, or as a Tigger in an absolute frenzy to be even more bouncy than usual.

   • 1999, Thisbe Nissen, Out of the girls' room and into the night, University of Iowa Press, →ISBN, pg. 176:

     He was like a Tigger: he didn't walk; he bounced. He pissed some people off, too, with his lackadaisical, what's-a-schedule? unreliable ways.

Further reading

• Tigger on Wikipedia.Wikipedia