Where does “grimalkin” come from?
grimalkin (English) comes from English malkin, from English Malde, from English Matilda, from Old French Mathilde, from Old High German maht, from Proto-West Germanic mahti, from Proto-Germanic mahtiz, from Proto-Germanic mahtuz — to be able.
grimalkin (English): A cat, especially an elderly female; A...
Definitions
- A cat, especially an elderly female; A...
Ancestry of “grimalkin”, step by step
grimalkin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English malkin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | malkin | A lower-class or uncultured woman; a... |
| 2 | English | Malde | — |
| 3 | English | Matilda | Either of two British infantry tanks in use... |
| 4 | Old French | Mathilde | — |
| 5 | Old High German | maht | might |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | mahti | might, power |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | mahtiz | power, ability; strength, force |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | mahtuz | might, power |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mógʰtis | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | meǵʰ- | to be able |
via English Grey
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Grey | A member of the Royal Scots Greys, a cavalry... |
| 2 | Middle English | grey | grey, dull, drab; glinting, glistening; grey |
| 3 | Old English | grǣġ | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *grāu | grey |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grēwaz | grey |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |