Origin of words

[Inanna]

I think,I may be wrong though,this forum is the place to post this question.Can any of my friends give me informations on the origin of the following English words-'Cat' & 'Moon'? Regards to all.

 

[richardm]

Not much. They're extremely old words. Cat comes to us from Old High German which is the earliest known Germanic language from about 500 AD. It's a variation of the Latin "Cattus". Moon has a similar history.

Why do you want to know? Is there a particular question you have in mind?

 

[JayT]

Etymology of Cat and Moon

I think,I may be wrong though,this forum is the place to post this question.Can any of my friends give me informations on the origin of the following English words-'Cat' & 'Moon'? Regards to all.

Here's what my dictionary says:

 

[Inanna]

Richardm,Thanx for your reply. I want to know because these two are my favourite things,although I can't keep either at home.My parents don't like the cat & the moon can't be trapped or kept at home for personal pleasure.
Cats are stealthy,secretive,silent & they,sort of,charm people.They have been the inspiration for so many enjoyable stories.Remember the Chesire Cat?So cute & so intelligent.Not like us,humans!!He's full of humour too.Has endless qualities.He will never disappear from our minds.
I am a devoted admirer of the Moon.It is magical,its phases are volatile,ethereal & very beautiful.The moonlight soothes our scorched souls sometimes.
JayT,thanx for your reply too,but you have given extracts from the dictionary highlighting it with pink,which I can't read very clearly,I'm afraid.
Anyway,thank you both very much.
Cheers

 

[Inanna]

Dear JayT
The thumbnails you've attached are not opening from my browser.
Thanx,anyway.Be in touch. I've a dictionary at home too.
Cheers!!

 

[gtc]

According to the thumbnails:

Cat is a general European word that is possibly derived from the latin word cattus which may come from Africa.

Moone comes from the Middle English word Mone which comes from the Old English word Mona, whch is akin to a similar Gothic Word and an even older Indo European word.

It also appears to be related to Latin words for month and measurement (I guess it might be related to the word for money then).

I may have incorrectly interpreted the abbreviations used in the dictionary but you get the idea.

Is there a cat shelter near you Inanna? Sometimes they can use volunteers to give them a hand (and pat a cat or two).

 

[JayT]

Curious

Dear JayT
The thumbnails you've attached are not opening from my browser.
Thanx,anyway.Be in touch. I've a dictionary at home too.
Cheers!!

I don't understand the thumbnail problem.

I write web pages, so I use 5 different browsers when I test my work and the thumbnails work perfectly for me in IE, Netscape, Firefox, Opera and Safari.

It may be a problem with your browser settings or maybe a firewall or ad blocking software you may be using.

Curious.




I'm owned by a cat too.

There once was a time long ago when men worshiped cats. Mankind has long forgotten those days. Cats, however, have not.

LOL

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

Richardm,Thanx for your reply. I want to know because these two are my favourite things,although I can't keep either at home.

I don't guess there's ever a need for a reason to be interested in etymologies, but this answer baffles me. Why not "ocean" or "continent" or "galaxy"? Why "cat" and "moon"?

You have made me extremely curious, and you know, of course, what they say about curiosity and the cat. . . .

 

[Inanna]

Dear gtc,I love cats but there is no pet care centre near my home. JayT,you are right.In ancient Egypt,Bastet was the goddess of cats.I too,think they have not forgotten that they were worshipped.In India, the cat is said to be the favourite animal of the Goddess Shasthi who looks after the small children.It is believed that if you kill a cat,something bad may happen to the children at your home.But all the cats in India are not pampered,quite sadly.To me,they are not animals merely,they definitely have something more to them due to which,we humans often become their slaves!!

 

[Inanna]

Dear Joe
Rest assured.Curiosity will not kill you. I am curious about galaxies & constellations tone day,I want to go to Iota Cancri,a huge double star of "Cancer".
Tha cats & the Moon seem to be happy with me for starting this thread over here!!
Don't you love cats?Have n't you ever been charmed by the moonlight so far?
Cheers!!

 

[kmortis]

FYI, in the future, you can start here. I has a goodly number of English words, not all, but a good number.

 

[Inanna]

JayT,thanx.The thumbnails finally opened.
Kmortis,thanx for the link you've supplied.

 

[JayT]

Don't Drink The Water

JayT,you are right.In ancient Egypt,Bastet was the goddess of cats.I too,think they have not forgotten that they were worshipped.

I noticed you're from the Plain of Lethe (λήθη) in my old neighbourhood.

Whatever you do, don't drink the water! You'll forget everything - cats, moon and all!

LOL

 

[Supercharts]

Cat - semi-tame animal which kills songbirds and chews their heads off and leaves the heads near your pillow while you sleep. Tempermental in that it will display it's irritation with it's owner by going behind a sofa and spraying a foul odor.

Dog - A symbol of God's love for humanity.

 

[bruto]

If etymology really interests you, you might hunt around for a copy of Origins, by Eric Partridge. It's a dictionary of etymology, and although it doesn't contain every word there is, it's pretty useful.