kaķis

Etymology

Old word, which spread together with the animal millennia ago, apparently ultimately of African origin, later borrowed into Proto-Indo-European. The Latvian term was apparently influenced by the Germanic forms: kaķis < *katis, from feminine *kate (cf. dialectal katene (“kitten”)), at first in Couronian dialects, later in other dialects and in the standard language. Cognates include Lithuanian katė̃, Old Prussian catto ([kato]), Russian кот (kot), Middle High German, Middle Dutch katte, German Katze, English cat, Latin cattus, catta.^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkacis]

Noun

kaķis m (2nd declension)

1. domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus)

   melns kaķis ― black cat

   kaķis murrā ― the cat purrs

   kaķis noķēris peli ― the cat caught a mouse

   veikls kā kaķis ― neat as a cat

   acis kā kaķim ― eyes like a cat's (= good vision)

References

• kaķis in some Latvian dictionary at tezaurs.lv