Comments: THE STEAMER.

Wasn't Babur* the first Great Mogul, i.e. the Muslim conqueror of India who made himself a feared newcomer ?

* meaning “beaver” or “tiger” ?

Posted by Siganus Sutor at July 24, 2006 09:42 AM

Babur is Turkish for tiger. Curiously, he has lent his name to the cartoon elephant, Babar.

Posted by anders at July 24, 2006 06:12 PM

"Babur" is derived for an old Indo-European word, meaning "beaver". However, it is still common belief that his name is derived from the Persian word "Babr", which means "tiger".

In any case, it's not a Turkish word. The Turkish word for lion is "arslan".

Posted by Doc at September 20, 2006 04:19 PM

Arslan, almost like in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? C. S. Lewis and Jean de Brunhoff seem to have gone a long way abroad to get the name of their characters. And it looks as if the name Babar could have been given to the Narnian Mr Beaver...

In any case, it's not a Turkish word. The Turkish word for lion is "arslan".
I think we were talking of a tiger rather than a lion. (BTW, what is the English name for the cub born of a female tiger and a male lion — or the opposite?)

Posted by Siganus Sutor at September 21, 2006 01:32 AM