(now rare without a qualifying word) The red panda (Ailurus fulgens), a small raccoon-like animal of northeast Asia with reddish fur and a long, ringed tail.

(colloquial, also attributively) Short for giant panda (“Ailuropoda melanoleuca”).

(Britain, law enforcement, colloquial) Short for panda car (“a black-and-white police car”).

(Hinduism) A brahmin who acts as the hereditary superintendent of a particular ghat or temple, and is regarded as knowledgeable in matters of genealogy and ritual.