kaķis

See also: kakis

Latvian

Kaķis

Etymology

Old word, which spread together with the animal millennia ago, apparently ultimately of Afroasiatic origin, later borrowed into Proto-Indo-European.

The Latvian term was apparently influenced by the Germanic forms: kaķis < *katis, from feminine *kate (cf. dialectal katene (“kitten”)), at first in Couronian dialects, later in other dialects and in the standard language.

Cognates include Lithuanian katė̃, Old Prussian catto ([kato]), Russian кот (kot), Middle High German, Middle Dutch katte, German Katze, English cat, Latin cattus, catta.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkacis]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

kaķis m (2nd declension)

1. domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus)

   melns kaķis ― black cat

   kaķis murrā ― the cat purrs

   kaķis noķēris peli ― the cat caught a mouse

   veikls kā kaķis ― neat as a cat

   acis kā kaķim ― eyes like a cat's (= good vision)

Declension

Declension of kaķis (2nd declension)

	singular	plural
nominative	kaķis	kaķi
genitive	kaķa	kaķu
dative	kaķim	kaķiem
accusative	kaķi	kaķus
instrumental	kaķi	kaķiem
locative	kaķī	kaķos
vocative	kaķi	kaķi

Derived terms

• kaķe, kaķene
• kaķēns

See also

• runcis

References

• kaķis at tezaurs.lv