"a leopard cannot change its spots" meaning in English

See a leopard cannot change its spots in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proverb

Etymology: Ultimately from Jeremiah 13:23. Head templates: {{head|en|proverb}} a leopard cannot change its spots
  1. One cannot change one's own nature. Synonyms: the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature, the fox may grow grey but never good, you can take the person out of the place, but you can't take the place out of the person Related terms: what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh Translations (one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh): կարմիր կովը կաշին չի փոխի (karmir kovə kašin čʿi pʿoxi) (Armenian), թուրքը մնում է թուրք (tʿurkʿə mnum ē tʿurkʿ) [of Turks, specifically] (Armenian), qozbeli qəbir düzəldər (Azerbaijani), 江山易改,本性難移 (Chinese Mandarin), 江山易改 (Chinese Mandarin), 本性难移 (jiāngshān yì gǎi, běnxìng nán yí) (Chinese Mandarin), 牛牽到北京還是牛 (Chinese Mandarin), 牛牵到北京还是牛 (niú qiān dào Běijīng háishì niú) (Chinese Mandarin), starého psa novým kouskům nenaučíš (Czech), zvyk je železná košile (Czech), een vos verliest wel zijn haren, maar niet zijn streken (Dutch), een vos verliest zijn streken niet (Dutch), küürakat parandab ainult haud (Estonian), seepra ei pääse raidoistaan (Finnish), jäljistään jäniskin tunnetaan (Finnish), chassez le naturel, il revient au galop (French), on ne se refait pas (French), კუზიანს სამარე გაასწორებსო (ḳuzians samare gaasc̣orebso) (Georgian), die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht (German), kutyából nem lesz szalonna (Hungarian), rupa boleh berubah, tabiat dibawa mati (Indonesian), briseann an dúchas trí shúile an chait (Irish), is treise dúchas ná oiliúint (Irish), il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio (Italian), chi nasce tondo non può morire quadrato (Italian), ខ្មែរមិនចោលក្បួន យួនមិនចោលពុត (kmae mɨn caol kbuən yuən mɨn caol put) (Khmer), 제 버릇 개 못 준다 (je beoreut gae mot junda) (Korean), 제 버릇 개 줄까 (je beoreut gae julkka) (Korean), 개 버릇 남 주나 (gae beoreut nam juna) (Korean), vilku gimęs, vilku ir dvės (Lithuanian), ججق بوليه دهيلڠکن, بلڠ باݢايمان دهيلڠکن؟ [Jawi] (Malay), روڤا بوليه دأوبه, طبيعة دباوا ماتي [Jawi] (Malay), ايکتن بوليه دأوبه, تاکوق باݢايمان دأوبه [Jawi] (Malay), سوکر اونتوق ملوروسکن ايکور انجيڠ [Jawi] (Malay), ايکور انجيڠ دلوروت, تيدق لوروس جوݢ [Jawi] (Malay), jejak boleh dihilangkan, belang bagaimana dihilangkan? [Rumi] (Malay), rupa boleh diubah, tabiat dibawa mati [Rumi] (Malay), ikatan boleh diubah, takuk bagaimana diubah? [Rumi] (Malay), sukar untuk meluruskan ekor anjing [Rumi] (Malay), ekor anjing dilurut, tidak lurus juga [Rumi] (Malay), habis minyak sepasu, ekor anjing diurut tiada lurus [Rumi] (Malay), لا تبدیل لخلق الله (lâ tabdila lexalqe-llah) [rare] (Persian), natura ciągnie wilka do lasu (Polish), o leopardo não pode mudar suas manchas (Portuguese), pode o etíope mudar a sua pele ou o leopardo as suas manchas? (Portuguese), lupul își schimbă părul, dar năravul ba (Romanian), an car a bha san t-seana mhaide 's duilich a thoirt às (Scottish Gaelic), vuk dlaku mijenja, ali ćud nikada (Serbo-Croatian), genio y figura hasta la sepultura (Spanish), no hay que pedir peras al olmo (Spanish), la cabra siempre tira al monte (Spanish), quien nace lechón muere cochino (Spanish), ränderna går aldrig ur (Swedish), ang kabayo ay bigyan man ng asukal at tinapay, sapilitang aayawan, humahanap din ng kumpay (Tagalog), can çıkar huy çıkmaz (Turkish), huylu huyundan vazgeçmez (Turkish), горбатого могила виправить (horbatoho mohyla vypravytʹ) (Ukrainian), ngựa quen đường cũ (Vietnamese), giang sơn dễ đổi, bản tính khó dời (Vietnamese), a newidia y llewpard ei frychni? (Welsh)

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{
  "etymology_text": "Ultimately from Jeremiah 13:23.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb"
      },
      "expansion": "a leopard cannot change its spots",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Hebrew links with redundant alt parameters",
          "parents": [
            "Links with redundant alt parameters",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with redundant transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
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        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Yiddish terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment",
          "text": "The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One cannot change one's own nature."
      ],
      "id": "en-a_leopard_cannot_change_its_spots-en-proverb-i7hpFkYv",
      "links": [
        [
          "nature",
          "nature"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature"
        },
        {
          "word": "the fox may grow grey but never good"
        },
        {
          "word": "you can take the person out of the place, but you can't take the place out of the person"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "karmir kovə kašin čʿi pʿoxi",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "կարմիր կովը կաշին չի փոխի"
        },
        {
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "tʿurkʿə mnum ē tʿurkʿ",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "of Turks",
            "specifically"
          ],
          "word": "թուրքը մնում է թուրք"
        },
        {
          "code": "az",
          "lang": "Azerbaijani",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "qozbeli qəbir düzəldər"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "江山易改,本性難移"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "江山易改"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "jiāngshān yì gǎi, běnxìng nán yí",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "本性难移"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "note": "狗改不了吃屎 (gǒu gǎi bùliǎo chī shǐ, literally “a dog can't help eating shit”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "牛牽到北京還是牛"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "niú qiān dào Běijīng háishì niú",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "牛牵到北京还是牛"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "starého psa novým kouskům nenaučíš"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "zvyk je železná košile"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "een vos verliest wel zijn haren, maar niet zijn streken"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "een vos verliest zijn streken niet"
        },
        {
          "code": "et",
          "lang": "Estonian",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "küürakat parandab ainult haud"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "seepra ei pääse raidoistaan"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "jäljistään jäniskin tunnetaan"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "chassez le naturel, il revient au galop"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "on ne se refait pas"
        },
        {
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "ḳuzians samare gaasc̣orebso",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "კუზიანს სამარე გაასწორებსო"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "note": "ο λύκος κι αν εγέρασε κι άσπρισε το μαλλί του, μήτε τη γνώμη άλλαξε, μήτε την κεφαλή του (o lýkos ki an egérase ki ásprise to mallí tou, míte ti gnómi állaxe, míte tin kefalí tou, literally “Even though the wolf got old and his hair became white, he changed neither his opinion nor his head”) (about old age)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "note": "הֲיַהֲפֹךְ כּוּשִׁי עוֹרוֹ וְנָמֵר חֲבַרְבֻּרֹתָיו (hayahafókh kúshi 'oró venamer ḥabarbburotav, literally “Will a Cushite change his skin and a leopard his spots?”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "kutyából nem lesz szalonna"
        },
        {
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "rupa boleh berubah, tabiat dibawa mati"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "briseann an dúchas trí shúile an chait"
        },
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "is treise dúchas ná oiliúint"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "chi nasce tondo non può morire quadrato"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "note": "三つ子の魂百まで (mitsugo no tamashii hyaku made, literally “the soul of a child of three is the same at 100”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "km",
          "lang": "Khmer",
          "roman": "kmae mɨn caol kbuən yuən mɨn caol put",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "ខ្មែរមិនចោលក្បួន យួនមិនចោលពុត"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "je beoreut gae mot junda",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "제 버릇 개 못 준다"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "je beoreut gae julkka",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "제 버릇 개 줄까"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "gae beoreut nam juna",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "개 버릇 남 주나"
        },
        {
          "code": "lt",
          "lang": "Lithuanian",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "vilku gimęs, vilku ir dvės"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "note": "волкот влакно менува, нарав никогаш (volkot vlakno menuva, narav nikogaš, literally “the wolf changes his hair, but never his disposition”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Jawi"
          ],
          "word": "ججق بوليه دهيلڠکن, بلڠ باݢايمان دهيلڠکن؟"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Jawi"
          ],
          "word": "روڤا بوليه دأوبه, طبيعة دباوا ماتي"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Jawi"
          ],
          "word": "ايکتن بوليه دأوبه, تاکوق باݢايمان دأوبه"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Jawi"
          ],
          "word": "سوکر اونتوق ملوروسکن ايکور انجيڠ"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Jawi"
          ],
          "word": "ايکور انجيڠ دلوروت, تيدق لوروس جوݢ"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Rumi"
          ],
          "word": "jejak boleh dihilangkan, belang bagaimana dihilangkan?"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Rumi"
          ],
          "word": "rupa boleh diubah, tabiat dibawa mati"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Rumi"
          ],
          "word": "ikatan boleh diubah, takuk bagaimana diubah?"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Rumi"
          ],
          "word": "sukar untuk meluruskan ekor anjing"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Rumi"
          ],
          "word": "ekor anjing dilurut, tidak lurus juga"
        },
        {
          "code": "ms",
          "lang": "Malay",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "Rumi"
          ],
          "word": "habis minyak sepasu, ekor anjing diurut tiada lurus"
        },
        {
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "lâ tabdila lexalqe-llah",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "tags": [
            "rare"
          ],
          "word": "لا تبدیل لخلق الله"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "natura ciągnie wilka do lasu"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "o leopardo não pode mudar suas manchas"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "pode o etíope mudar a sua pele ou o leopardo as suas manchas?"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "lupul își schimbă părul, dar năravul ba"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "волк ка́ждый год линя́ет, а всё сер быва́ет (volk káždyj god linjájet, a vsjo ser byvájet, literally “each year the wolf molts its fur, but it continues to be grey”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "ско́лько во́лка ни корми́, он всё в лес смо́трит (skólʹko vólka ni kormí, on vsjo v les smótrit, literally “however good you feed the wolf, it still looks onto the forest”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "горба́того моги́ла испра́вит (gorbátovo mogíla isprávit, literally “only the grave can straighten the hunchback”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "чёрного кобеля́ не отмо́ешь добела́ (čórnovo kobeljá ne otmóješʹ dobelá, literally “you can’t wash a black dog to make it white”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "зарека́лась лиса́ кур не ворова́ть (zarekálasʹ lisá kur ne vorovátʹ, literally “the fox promised not to steal chickens”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        },
        {
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "an car a bha san t-seana mhaide 's duilich a thoirt às"
        },
        {
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "vuk dlaku mijenja, ali ćud nikada"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "genio y figura hasta la sepultura"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "no hay que pedir peras al olmo"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "la cabra siempre tira al monte"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "quien nace lechón muere cochino"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "ränderna går aldrig ur"
        },
        {
          "code": "tl",
          "lang": "Tagalog",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "ang kabayo ay bigyan man ng asukal at tinapay, sapilitang aayawan, humahanap din ng kumpay"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "can çıkar huy çıkmaz"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "huylu huyundan vazgeçmez"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "horbatoho mohyla vypravytʹ",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "горбатого могила виправить"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "ngựa quen đường cũ"
        },
        {
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "giang sơn dễ đổi, bản tính khó dời"
        },
        {
          "code": "cy",
          "lang": "Welsh",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
          "word": "a newidia y llewpard ei frychni?"
        },
        {
          "code": "yi",
          "lang": "Yiddish",
          "note": "אַ חזיר בלײַבט אַ חזיר (a khazer blaybt a khazer, literally “a pig remains a pig”)",
          "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "a leopard cannot change its spots"
}
{
  "etymology_text": "Ultimately from Jeremiah 13:23.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb"
      },
      "expansion": "a leopard cannot change its spots",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs",
        "English terms derived from the Bible",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Hebrew links with redundant alt parameters",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Yiddish terms with non-redundant manual transliterations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1918, Johnston McCulley, Thubway Tham's Inthane Moment",
          "text": "The leopard cannot change his spots, old boy.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One cannot change one's own nature."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "nature",
          "nature"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature"
    },
    {
      "word": "the fox may grow grey but never good"
    },
    {
      "word": "you can take the person out of the place, but you can't take the place out of the person"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "karmir kovə kašin čʿi pʿoxi",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "կարմիր կովը կաշին չի փոխի"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "tʿurkʿə mnum ē tʿurkʿ",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "of Turks",
        "specifically"
      ],
      "word": "թուրքը մնում է թուրք"
    },
    {
      "code": "az",
      "lang": "Azerbaijani",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "qozbeli qəbir düzəldər"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "江山易改,本性難移"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "江山易改"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "jiāngshān yì gǎi, běnxìng nán yí",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "本性难移"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "note": "狗改不了吃屎 (gǒu gǎi bùliǎo chī shǐ, literally “a dog can't help eating shit”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "牛牽到北京還是牛"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "niú qiān dào Běijīng háishì niú",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "牛牵到北京还是牛"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "starého psa novým kouskům nenaučíš"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "zvyk je železná košile"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "een vos verliest wel zijn haren, maar niet zijn streken"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "een vos verliest zijn streken niet"
    },
    {
      "code": "et",
      "lang": "Estonian",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "küürakat parandab ainult haud"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "seepra ei pääse raidoistaan"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "jäljistään jäniskin tunnetaan"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "chassez le naturel, il revient au galop"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "on ne se refait pas"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "ḳuzians samare gaasc̣orebso",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "კუზიანს სამარე გაასწორებსო"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "die Katze lässt das Mausen nicht"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "note": "ο λύκος κι αν εγέρασε κι άσπρισε το μαλλί του, μήτε τη γνώμη άλλαξε, μήτε την κεφαλή του (o lýkos ki an egérase ki ásprise to mallí tou, míte ti gnómi állaxe, míte tin kefalí tou, literally “Even though the wolf got old and his hair became white, he changed neither his opinion nor his head”) (about old age)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "note": "הֲיַהֲפֹךְ כּוּשִׁי עוֹרוֹ וְנָמֵר חֲבַרְבֻּרֹתָיו (hayahafókh kúshi 'oró venamer ḥabarbburotav, literally “Will a Cushite change his skin and a leopard his spots?”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "kutyából nem lesz szalonna"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "rupa boleh berubah, tabiat dibawa mati"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "briseann an dúchas trí shúile an chait"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "is treise dúchas ná oiliúint"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "chi nasce tondo non può morire quadrato"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "note": "三つ子の魂百まで (mitsugo no tamashii hyaku made, literally “the soul of a child of three is the same at 100”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "km",
      "lang": "Khmer",
      "roman": "kmae mɨn caol kbuən yuən mɨn caol put",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "ខ្មែរមិនចោលក្បួន យួនមិនចោលពុត"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "je beoreut gae mot junda",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "제 버릇 개 못 준다"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "je beoreut gae julkka",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "제 버릇 개 줄까"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "gae beoreut nam juna",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "개 버릇 남 주나"
    },
    {
      "code": "lt",
      "lang": "Lithuanian",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "vilku gimęs, vilku ir dvės"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "note": "волкот влакно менува, нарав никогаш (volkot vlakno menuva, narav nikogaš, literally “the wolf changes his hair, but never his disposition”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Jawi"
      ],
      "word": "ججق بوليه دهيلڠکن, بلڠ باݢايمان دهيلڠکن؟"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Jawi"
      ],
      "word": "روڤا بوليه دأوبه, طبيعة دباوا ماتي"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Jawi"
      ],
      "word": "ايکتن بوليه دأوبه, تاکوق باݢايمان دأوبه"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Jawi"
      ],
      "word": "سوکر اونتوق ملوروسکن ايکور انجيڠ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Jawi"
      ],
      "word": "ايکور انجيڠ دلوروت, تيدق لوروس جوݢ"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Rumi"
      ],
      "word": "jejak boleh dihilangkan, belang bagaimana dihilangkan?"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Rumi"
      ],
      "word": "rupa boleh diubah, tabiat dibawa mati"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Rumi"
      ],
      "word": "ikatan boleh diubah, takuk bagaimana diubah?"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Rumi"
      ],
      "word": "sukar untuk meluruskan ekor anjing"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Rumi"
      ],
      "word": "ekor anjing dilurut, tidak lurus juga"
    },
    {
      "code": "ms",
      "lang": "Malay",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "Rumi"
      ],
      "word": "habis minyak sepasu, ekor anjing diurut tiada lurus"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "roman": "lâ tabdila lexalqe-llah",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "word": "لا تبدیل لخلق الله"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "natura ciągnie wilka do lasu"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "o leopardo não pode mudar suas manchas"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "pode o etíope mudar a sua pele ou o leopardo as suas manchas?"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "lupul își schimbă părul, dar năravul ba"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "волк ка́ждый год линя́ет, а всё сер быва́ет (volk káždyj god linjájet, a vsjo ser byvájet, literally “each year the wolf molts its fur, but it continues to be grey”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "ско́лько во́лка ни корми́, он всё в лес смо́трит (skólʹko vólka ni kormí, on vsjo v les smótrit, literally “however good you feed the wolf, it still looks onto the forest”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "горба́того моги́ла испра́вит (gorbátovo mogíla isprávit, literally “only the grave can straighten the hunchback”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "чёрного кобеля́ не отмо́ешь добела́ (čórnovo kobeljá ne otmóješʹ dobelá, literally “you can’t wash a black dog to make it white”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "зарека́лась лиса́ кур не ворова́ть (zarekálasʹ lisá kur ne vorovátʹ, literally “the fox promised not to steal chickens”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "an car a bha san t-seana mhaide 's duilich a thoirt às"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "vuk dlaku mijenja, ali ćud nikada"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "genio y figura hasta la sepultura"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "no hay que pedir peras al olmo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "la cabra siempre tira al monte"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "quien nace lechón muere cochino"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "ränderna går aldrig ur"
    },
    {
      "code": "tl",
      "lang": "Tagalog",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "ang kabayo ay bigyan man ng asukal at tinapay, sapilitang aayawan, humahanap din ng kumpay"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "can çıkar huy çıkmaz"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "huylu huyundan vazgeçmez"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "horbatoho mohyla vypravytʹ",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "горбатого могила виправить"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "ngựa quen đường cũ"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "giang sơn dễ đổi, bản tính khó dời"
    },
    {
      "code": "cy",
      "lang": "Welsh",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh",
      "word": "a newidia y llewpard ei frychni?"
    },
    {
      "code": "yi",
      "lang": "Yiddish",
      "note": "אַ חזיר בלײַבט אַ חזיר (a khazer blaybt a khazer, literally “a pig remains a pig”)",
      "sense": "one cannot change one's own nature — see also what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh"
    }
  ],
  "word": "a leopard cannot change its spots"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-17 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-01 using wiktextract (0b52755 and 5cb0836). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.