Where does “tomcat” come from?
tomcat (English) comes from English cat, from Middle English catte, from Old English catte, from Germanic *kattǭ, from Germanic *kattuz, from Latin cattus, from Latin catta — a cat.
tomcat (English): A tom, a male cat; To prowl for sexual...
Definitions
- A tom, a male cat; To prowl for sexual...
Ancestry of “tomcat”, step by step
tomcat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cat | An animal of the family Felidae; A person; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | catte | — |
| 3 | Old English | catte | a female cat |
| 4 | Germanic | *kattǭ | — |
| 5 | Germanic | *kattuz | — |
| 6 | Latin | cattus | a cat |
| 7 | Latin | catta | a cat |
via English Tom
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Tom | A nickname for a common man |