Happy birthday to all the cats!
Happy birthday to all the cats!
Romanian lost the Latin term "cattus," which is preserved in English and other languages. Romanian retains the Latin word in "cătușe," "a încătușa" - because they catch like cat claws. And sardine has "pisittu.
The domestic cat was brought from Egypt, replacing the word "feles" (wildcat) with a word of African origin. In Megleno-Romanian, "cătușă" has the old meaning of domestic cat. However, the regionalism "mâță" figuratively means "anchor." Ancient Rome did not know the domestic cat; only after contact with Egypt were cats brought to Rome for domestic purposes.
We also have the neologism "felină." Sardinia, being an island close to Africa, has preserved the African term.
About the author
Alexandru RobeaPassionate about linguistics, cat person. He who gives (helps) quickly gives twice; he who delays gives nothing. Let us try to distinguish between the infinite possibilities of dreams and the restrictive demands of the real world.
