Where does “Schmusekatze” come from?
Schmusekatze (German) comes from German schmusen, from Yiddish שמועסן, from Yiddish ־ן, from Middle High German -en, from Old High German -īn, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos, from Proto-Indo-European -no- — adjectival suffix.
Schmusekatze (German): a cuddly cat, a cat that likes to cuddle
Definitions
- a cuddly cat, a cat that likes to cuddle
Ancestry of “Schmusekatze”, step by step
Schmusekatze traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German schmusen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | schmusen | to smooch; to cuddle; to fondle |
| 2 | Yiddish | שמועסן | to talk idly, chat, converse, shmooze; plural of... |
| 3 | Yiddish | ־ן | The infinitive marker for verbs, which can be... |
| 4 | Middle High German | -en | — |
| 5 | Old High German | -īn | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |