Why A "Cat" Is Called A "Cat"

The English word "cat" is very similar to the word used for our feline pets in other languages spoken in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The table below lists the word for cat and the language:

• Kat Dutch
• chat French
• Katze German
• gatta Greek
• kottur Icelandic
• gatto Italian
• qattus Maltean
• katt Norwegian
• kot Polish
• gato Spanish
• katt Swedish

Clearly "cat" is an ancient word that spread into many regions from a single source. The source appears to be Arabic because the oldest use of "cat" is in North Africa where the term is "quttah".

A few other terms relating to cats originate from the Mediterranean. One is the word "tabby", which is derived from the Turkish word "utabi". And the general word for a cat in Turkey is "kedi", which may be the ancestor term for the English word "kitty".

From the Cat Nips newsletter.

You can check out my new CD "Whiskers in the Jar: Irish Songs for Cat Lovers" for some great cat music.

Labels: cool_articles

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posted by Marc Gunn @ Wednesday, April 09, 2008