Etymology and Name Origins

The English term for "cat," which has its roots in Old English as "catt," is believed to have its origins in the
Late Latin word "cattus," first recorded at the beginning of the 6th century. It's worth noting that the
Late Latin word possibly has links to an unidentified African language. The Nubian words "kaddîska,"
meaning 'wildcat,' and "Nobiin kadīs" are potential sources or related terms. It's also possible that the
Nubian word itself borrowed from Arabic, specifically " ‫( "َق ّط‬qaṭṭ) or " ‫( "ِقّط‬qiṭṭ).

Nevertheless, it's equally plausible that these linguistic forms may have their origins in an ancient
Germanic word that made its way into Latin and subsequently into Greek, Syriac, and Arabic. The word's
lineage might be traced back to Germanic and Northern European languages, with a potential link to the
Uralic language family. For instance, in Northern Sámi, there's "gáđfi," referring to a 'female stoat,' and in
Hungarian, "hölgy," signifying 'lady' or 'female stoat.' This connection possibly reaches back to Proto-
Uralic, where *käďwä meant 'female (of a furred animal).'