kucing (Malay)
Where does "kucing" come from?
The Malay word 'kucing' traces its roots back to the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian term *kutíŋ. While it is now the standard word for the domestic house cat, historical evidence suggests that the original term may have been used by ancient speakers to describe a broader range of wild felines.
Full etymology tree
- kucing (Malay), 'cat (domestic species)'
- inherited *kutíŋ (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian), 'cat (animal)'
Ancestors
- *kutíŋ (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian)
Descendants and derived words
- kucing (Indonesian)
- kucing batu (Malay)
- kucing belanda (Malay)
- kucing emas (Malay)
- kucing hutan (Malay)
- kucing liar (Malay)
- kucing merah (Malay)
- kucing tapai (Malay)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris