We call it a cat. A beautiful furry from the feline family that has lived with humans for about ten thousand years. First, he was dedicated solely and exclusively to hunting mice, something that was very useful for us since he kept grain crops safe, but today he fulfills a much more important function if possible: that of being one more member of the family.
It's nice, since he does it because he wanted it that way. And, if you treat him with love and respect, you get a wonderful and incredible friendship in return. But why do we call it that? What is the origin of the word cat?
The most accepted theory locates the origin of the word cat in the Ancient Roman Empire, towards the IV century d. There, the Latin term was used cattus to name domestic cats. Cat it is not known exactly where it comes from, it may be that it comes from captus which means prudent or cunning, of catus which translates as clever or witty, or as catum, which is defined as capture by referring to the predatory nature of this animal.
Still, it could be that it came from an African or Asian term. In Syria, for example, they use the word Qato, which is very similar.
What is known with certainty is that, during the Middle Ages (XNUMXth to XNUMXth centuries) if they spoke of the domestic cat, they used words that began with Latin sparrow, which means mouse, like muse, Murilegus o muriceps.
With the formation of the Romance languages, the derivations of cattus began. To this day, millions of people use words derived from it. There are several examples: the Germans say cat, the french chat, Englishmen cat, Polish feces, and the Lithuanians kate.
Did you know the origin of the word cat?