αἴλουρος

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

  • αἰέλουρος (aiélouros)

Etymology

Pre-Greek. Longstanding tradition holds it to derive from αἰόλος (aiólos, fast moving, nimble) + οὐρά (ourá, tail); while it has the feel of folk etymology, it may nonetheless be the case. Has also been compared to Latin viverra (ferret) and Lithuanian vaiveris (polecat).

Pronunciation

 

Noun

αἴλουρος • (aílouros) m or f (genitive αἰλούρου); second declension

  1. cat; domestic cat, tom (male), queen (female)
  2. weasel

Inflection

Synonyms

Descendants

  • Greek: αίλουρος (aílouros)
  • Translingual: Ailurus
  • Latin: aelurus

References

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