catt (Old Irish)

Where does "catt" come from?

The Old Irish word "catt" originates from the Proto-Celtic *kattos, a root likely tied to the Latin "cattus". Its ultimate origins are shadowed in mystery, as it may be a wanderword borrowed from Afroasiatic languages like Arabic or ancient Nilo-Saharan sources. This ancient term for our feline companion spread rapidly, echoing across different language families and leaving a lasting mark on modern vocabularies.

Full etymology tree

• catt (Old Irish), 'cat'
  • inherited *kattos (Proto-Celtic), 'cat'
    • borrowed cattus (Latin), 'a cat'
    • borrowed *kattuz (Proto-Germanic), 'cat'
      • borrowed cattus (Latin), 'a cat'
      • borrowed *käďwä (Proto-Uralic), 'female animal (? stoat, ermine)'

Ancestors

• *kattos (Proto-Celtic)
• cattus (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

• cat (Irish)
• kayt (Manx)
• caittín (Middle Irish)
• cat (Scottish Gaelic)

Updated June 2026

More words starting with C

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris