entry
cat
/kæt/Small domesticated feline, or slang for a person
From Late Latin cat (cat).
from Late Latin cattus . The near-universal European word now, it appeared in Europe as Latin catta (Martial, c. 75...
from Proto-Germanic *kattuz (source also of Old Frisian katte , Old Norse köttr , Dutch kat , Old High German kazza ,...
from Late Latin cattus . The near-universal European word now, it appeared in Europe as Latin catta (Martial, c. 75...
from Late Latin cattus . The near-universal European word now, it appeared in Europe as Latin catta (Martial, c. 75...
Word Ancestry
from Late Latin cattus . The near-universal European word now, it appeared in Europe as Latin catta (Martial, c. 75...
from Proto-Germanic *kattuz (source also of Old Frisian katte , Old Norse köttr , Dutch kat , Old High German kazza ,...
from Late Latin cattus . The near-universal European word now, it appeared in Europe as Latin catta (Martial, c. 75...
from Late Latin cattus . The near-universal European word now, it appeared in Europe as Latin catta (Martial, c. 75...
Cats arrived in Europe with a kind of linguistic swagger. Classical Latin already had feles, but by the time Martial was writing in the 1st century CE, people were saying cattus, a rough little word that spread like fur on a black coat and eventually shoved aside the older term. English picked it up early—Old English catt—and then the word started breeding metaphors: catbird, catnap, catcall, catty. The deeper origin is murky, though scholars often suspect an Afro-Asiatic source, with Nubian and Berber lookalikes hovering in the background like possible ancestors in a family photo. By the 20th century, the same word could mean a jazz fan or a fellow in African-American vernacular, which is how a household hunter ended up prowling through slang, still landing on its feet.
The Story
Cats arrived in Europe with a kind of linguistic swagger. Classical Latin already had feles, but by the time Martial was writing in the 1st century CE, people were saying cattus, a rough little word that spread like fur on a black coat and eventually shoved aside the older term. English picked it up early—Old English catt—and then the word started breeding metaphors: catbird, catnap, catcall, catty. The deeper origin is murky, though scholars often suspect an Afro-Asiatic source, with Nubian and Berber lookalikes hovering in the background like possible ancestors in a family photo. By the 20th century, the same word could mean a jazz fan or a fellow in African-American vernacular, which is how a household hunter ended up prowling through slang, still landing on its feet.
Modern Usage
A person, especially a fellow; historically also a prostitute, and later a jazz enthusiast
Popularized by: African-American vernacular and 20th-century jazz culture
Notable References
- etymonline attests the 'fellow, guy' sense from 1920
- etymonline attests the 'jazz enthusiast' sense from 1931
Kin & Kindred
From 'cat'·cat; domestic feline
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary