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Sino-Tibetan etymology :
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Proto-Sino-Tibetan: [*mrāw]
Meaning: wild cat
Comments: Bodo maw-zi cat.
stibet-prnum,stibet-meaning,stibet-chin,stibet-comments,
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Chinese characters :
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Character: 貓
Modern (Beijing) reading: māo
Preclassic Old Chinese: mhrāw
Classic Old Chinese: mhrāw
Western Han Chinese: mhrāw
Eastern Han Chinese: mhrāw
Early Postclassic Chinese: mhạ̄w
Middle Postclassic Chinese: mhạ̄w
Late Postclassic Chinese: mhạ̄w
Middle Chinese: mạw
English meaning : cat, wild cat
Russian meaning[s]: кошка
Comments: Also read *mhraw, MC mew id. Viet. mèo is colloquial; standard Sino-Vietnamese is miêu. For *mh cf. Xiamen miau1, Chaozhou ŋiǝu1, Longdu māw1; Shaowu mau7, Guangzhou māu1.
Radical: 153
Four-angle index: 1748
Karlgren code: 1159 c
Vietnamese reading: mèo
bigchina-reading,bigchina-ochn,bigchina-cchn,bigchina-wchn,bigchina-echn,bigchina-epchn,bigchina-mpchn,bigchina-lpchn,bigchina-mchn,bigchina-meaning,bigchina-oshanin,bigchina-comment,bigchina-stibet,bigchina-doc,bigchina-radical,bigchina-oshval,bigchina-karlgren,bigchina-viet,
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Chinese Dialects :
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Number: 2207
Character: 貓
MC description : 效開二平肴明
ZIHUI: 6292 1289
Beijing: mau 11
Jinan: mɔ 12
Xi'an: mau 12
Taiyuan: mau 1
Hankou: mau 11
Chengdu: mau 12; miau 11
Yangzhou: mɔ 12
Suzhou: mä 12
Wenzhou: muɔ 11
Changsha: miau 12 (lit.); mau 12
Shuangfeng: miǝ 12 (lit.); mǝ 11
Nanchang: miɛu 31 (lit.); mau 31
Meixian: miau 3
Guangzhou: māu 11
Xiamen: miau 12 (lit.); miaũ 11; ma 12
Chaozhou: ŋiǝu 11
Fuzhou: mieu 12
Shanghai: mɔ 32
doc-charref,doc-character,doc-mcinfo,doc-zihui,doc-beijing,doc-jinan,doc-xian,doc-taiyuan,doc-hankou,doc-chengdu,doc-yangzhou,doc-suzhou,doc-wenzhou,doc-changsha,doc-shuangfeng,doc-nanchang,doc-meixian,doc-guangzhou,doc-xiamen,doc-chaozhou,doc-fuzhou,doc-shanghai,
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Sino-Caucasian etymology :
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Proto-Sino-Caucasian: *mHar[G]VwV
Meaning: wild cat
sccet-meaning,sccet-prnum,sccet-cauc,sccet-stib,
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North Caucasian etymology :
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Proto-North Caucasian: *mHarGVwV
Meaning: tom-cat
Notes: An expressive root, liable to metatheses and irregular transformation. Seems, however, to be genuine. (In a funny way, Musayev lists a Darg. word from the Muir. dialect: q̇urmaIw 'mouse' (sic!)).
caucet-prnum,caucet-meaning,caucet-cez,caucet-lak,caucet-lezg,caucet-comment,
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Tsezian etymology :
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Proto-Tsezian: *maʁ:ur- (~-χ-)
Meaning: tom-cat
Bezhta: maʁurdi (Khosh)
Gunzib: maʁurdi (Gunz.)
Comments: PGB *maʁurdi.
cezet-prnum,cezet-meaning,cezet-bzt,cezet-gnz,cezet-comment,
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Lak etymology :
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Lak root: q:urmaw
Meaning: tom-cat
Lak form: q:urmaw (Khosr.)
Comments: The word q:uIrmaw in literary Lak. is used only in a euphemistic sense as "dirty creature, slut" (colloq.), although it is obviously the same word as Khosr. q:urmaw 'tom-cat'.
laket-prnum,laket-meaning,laket-lak,laket-comment,
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Lezghian etymology :
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Proto-Lezghian: *marq:Iaw
Meaning: tom-cat
Agul: marR̀u (Bursh.)
Rutul: marq̇Iaw
Comment: An expressive root, with irregular glottalisation in Rut. Ag. (Rich.) q:Iurmaw 'tom-cat' reveals the same metathesis as in Lak. and must be a Lak. borrowing; on the other hand, Ag. marR̀u ( < *marʁIaw) was itself borrowed in Darg. Chir. marʁIaw (which can not be genuinely related for phonetic reasons). Rather enigmatic is Kryz. ṗeʁu 'tom-cat' (perhaps it is an expressive transformation of *meʁu which would be a regular reflex of *marq:Iaw ?). Both the Rut. and the Kryz. words belong to the 3d class.
lezget-prnum,lezget-meaning,lezget-agu,lezget-rut,lezget-comment,
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Long-range etymologies :
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Borean (approx.) : MVRV
Meaning : wild cat
Austric : PAN *harimaw 'wild cat' (Blust: *qarimauŋ)
globet-meaning,globet-afas,globet-scc,globet-austr,
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Afroasiatic etymology :
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Proto-Afro-Asiatic: *mary-
Meaning: wild cat, lion, leopard
Omotic: Ong mirila (ST) = merнla / mirнla id., morle "serval, genet" (Fl) = Ts moralle "leopard" (ST) + NS
Notes: Cf. HSED 1760 (*mer- 'beast of prey': CCh.; SCush.) and HSED 1886 *numur-: Sem. 'leopard' (<"spotted"); W.Ch. (Ron) 'hyaena'. Cf. also EDE I 56-7: Eg.; ECush.; S.Cush.; C.Ch.
afaset-meaning,afaset-sem,afaset-egy,afaset-wch,afaset-cch,afaset-ech,afaset-lec,afaset-scu,afaset-omo,afaset-notes,
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Semitic etymology :
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Number: 2482
Proto-Semitic: *namir-
Meaning: leopard
Akkadian: nimru (nammar) 'panther' OAkk. on [CAD n2 234], [AHw. 790]. Reliably attested in the OB Diri (PIRIG.TUR = ni-im-ru-um, OECT IV 153 IV 5). The OAkk. attestation in MDP 10 p. 57 No. 74:3 is not unproblematic ("S'agirait-il d'une image de Nergal, "panthère" ou "léopard" à laquelle on sacrifiait...?" accroding to the editor). More details on n. see in [Landsberger Fauna 77], [Salonen Jagd 226-8]. The by-form nam-mar has been known from Gilg. VIII II 8, SEE JCS 8 93 (as a variant of nim-ru) but now probably also in the OA incantation ... published in [Michel 59] (ezzat pulḫat ilat nammarat barbaratum mārat Anim 'she is fierce, she is awe(inspi- ring), she is a goddess, she is a panther, the she-wolf, the daughter of Anum'). This interpretation (suggested by Ms. E.Vorob'yova) seems preferable to that proposed by the editor since the derivation of na-ma-ra-at from namurratu 'bright, shining' seems most unlikely.
Eblaitic: na-me-lum (in the monolingual animal list [MEE 4 005], identified with the present root in [Sjöberg Ebla 11]). Probably also in в [MEE 4 0503] (na-me-ru12-um, the Sum. parallel is unknown).
Hebrew: nāmēr 'leopard, panther' [KB 701], pB. 'tiger or leopard' [Ja. 914]. A relatively rare poetic term.
Aramaic: D.-Alla nmr 'panther' [HJ 733]. In a fragmentary context, meaning established from the ety- mology ([Hackett 55]). Anc. nmr 'panther' [HJ 733]. In KAI 222 A 31 and 223 A 9 (pm nmrh 'mouth of she-panter'), v. [Fitzmyer 44-5, 88]. Off. nmr 'panther' [HJ 733]. In Aḥiq 118-9 (nmrʔ pgʕ lʕnzʔ ... 'a leopard met a goat...') and Frah S2, P 99 (see [Nyberg 119]).
Biblical Aramaic: nǝmar 'panther' [KB 1931]. Hapax in Da 7.6 (in the description of one of the animals in Daniel's visions).
Judaic Aramaic: nǝmar (nimrā) 'tiger or leopard' [Ja. 914], [Levy WTM III 401], [Levy WT II 112], nmr (nymrh) 'leopard' [Sok. 352].
Syrian Aramaic: nemrā 'pardalis' [Brock. 431], [PS 2386].
Mandaic Aramaic: namar (nimar, namr) 'leopard' [DM 283], nimria (pl.) 'leopards, cheetahs' [ibid. 298].
Arabic: nimr- 'panthère', namir-, fem. namirat-, nāmirat- 'leopard, panthère' [BK 2 1346-7], [Fr. IV 337], [Lane 2853], [LA V 234] (see further [Hommel 294ff.]).
Epigraphic South Arabian: Sab. nmr 'leopard, panther' [SD 97]. Hdr. nmr 'panthère' [Pirenne 93]. The ESA terms are treated in detail in [Sima 120-25]. Most passages deal with hunt; only in Ga 1 A/10 decorative images of leopards are mentioned (ws2ʕrhw ʔṣlmm wʔwʕlm wʔlʔbm wʔnmrm d_hbm 'they provided it [the palace] with statues [human?] as well as ibexes, lions and leopards made of bronze'). According to some scholars, in some passages nmr denotes a kind of military title or designation ('сhieftain' according to [SD 97], rejected in [Biella 307]). For a comprehensive discussion of this difficult problem see [Sima 123-5].
Geʕez (Ethiopian): namr 'leopard' [LGz. 398].
Tigre: näbri 'leopard' [LH 330] (likely a borrowing from Tna., but see a variant form näbǝr, according to [LH], "wegen des Reimes").
Tigrai (Tigriñña): näbri 'leopardo' [Bass. 447] (in [LGz.], also nämri).
Amharic: näbǝr 'lynx' [K 1035], näbrart, näbärart id. [ibid. 1036], nämr id. [ibid. 1018].
Gurage: Sel. näwǝr, Wol. näwr 'leopard, tiger' [LGur. 465].
Harsusi: nemr 'leopard' [JH 97] (likely and Arabism).
Notes: Forms with -b- instead of -m- predominate throughout Neo-Ethiopian (likely a result of a dissimilation by nasality). [Fron. 293]: *nimr- 'leopardo' (Arb., Gez., Syr., Hbr., Akk.); [Hommel 294]: *namiru (Arb., Gez., Akk., Syr., Hbr.); [Sima 122]: ESA, Akk., Hbr., Arm., Arb., Gez. ("Die beiden For- men *nimr und *namir sind nicht auf eine gemeinsame Grundform zurückzuführen"); [KB 701]: Hbr., Arm., Arb., ESA, Gez., Akk.; [Firmage 1153]: Akk., Hbr., Arm., Gez., Arb.
semet-proto,semet-prnum,semet-meaning,semet-akk,semet-ebl,semet-hbr,semet-arm,semet-bib,semet-jud,semet-syr,semet-mnd,semet-ara,semet-sar,semet-gzz,semet-tgr,semet-tgy,semet-amh,semet-gur,semet-hss,semet-notes,
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Egyptian etymology :
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Old Egyptian: mꜣy (pyr)
Meaning: 'lion'
Coptic: *muy
Akhmimic: moui
Bohairic: moui
Sahidic: moui
Notes: Otherwise <*mVʔ-, cf. ECh *muʔi- 'lion': Smr mī: [Jg], mi, mui [Lk: 80], Tum mui, Ndam mui [?]
egyet-prnum,egyet-meaning,egyet-cpt,egyet-aaa,egyet-bbb,egyet-sss,egyet-notes,
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West Chadic etymology :
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Proto-WChadic: *mur(mur)-
Meaning: 'chetah' 1, 'jackal' 2, 'hyena' 3
Dera=Kanakuru: mūmuru 1 [NmK]
Polchi: mur 2 [Cs N 261]
Bokos: mùrûm 3 [JgR]
Sha: mùrûm 3 [JgR]
Daffo-Butura: mùrûm 3 [JgR]
wchet-prnum,wchet-meaning,wchet-der,wchet-pol,wchet-bks,wchet-sha,wchet-dfb,
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Central Chadic etymology :
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Proto-CChadic: *mVrVw-
Meaning: 'lion' 1, 'wild cat, serval' 2
Lame: mereo, mēr 2 [Kr N 170, 169]
Peve: méríáǹ 2 [Kr N170]
Zime-Dari: mérēw 2 [Cpr]
Zime-Batna: mēr 2 [Sa]
Masa: múr 2 [CC] animal sauvage
cchet-prnum,cchet-meaning,cchet-lam,cchet-lpe,cchet-zim,cchet-zbt,cchet-mas,
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East Chadic etymology :
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Proto-EChadic: *muʔi-
Meaning: 'lion'
Somrai: mī: [Jg], mi, mui [Lk: 80]
Tumak: mui [Cp
Sokoro: mi, mui [Lk:80]
Notes: Note that ECh may originate from *mV r as well
echet-prnum,echet-meaning,echet-smr,echet-tum,echet-sok,echet-notes,
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Low East Cushitic etymology :
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Proto-Low East Cushitic: *mor-
Meaning: 'lion'
Oromo (Galla): Cf. marode id.
Dasenech (Geleba): mor Hohenberger 1966
lecet-prnum,lecet-meaning,lecet-oro,lecet-gel,
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South Cushitic etymology :
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Proto-South Cushitic: *mary-
Meaning: 'wild cat' 1, 'leopard' 2, 'lion' 3
Gorowa (Fiome): mariri-ka 2
Alagwa (Wasi): mariyamo 1
Asa-Aramanic: mer-ok 3
scuet-prnum,scuet-meaning,scuet-gor,scuet-alg,scuet-asa,
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