Where does “meow” come from?

meow (English) comes from English mew, from Middle English mewe, from Old English mǣw, from Proto-West Germanic *maiwī, from Proto-Germanic maiwaz, from Proto-Germanic maiwijaną — to shout, mew.

meow (English): The cry of a cat; Said in reply to a spiteful or...

Definitions

  1. The cry of a cat; Said in reply to a spiteful or...

Ancestry of “meow”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmewA gull, seagull; A prison, or other place of...
2Middle Englishmeweseagull, gull; A cage used for allowing birds to...
3Old Englishmǣwmew, seagull; seagull
4Proto-West Germanic*maiwīgull, seagull
5Proto-Germanicmaiwazgull, seagull
6Proto-Germanicmaiwijanąto shout, mew

Words derived from “meow”

Every word from Proto-Germanic maiwijaną →Every word from Proto-Germanic maiwaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic *maiwī →
meow — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer