musio

Latin

Etymology

Unknown. No actual classical uses are known, but the word is included by Isidore of Seville in his Etymologiae, where it is stated that the word is a new creation from mūs (mouse) since cats catch mice; however, Isidore's etymologies are usually unreliable. Compare Latin mūstēla.

Noun

mūsiō f (genitive mūsiōnis); third declension (hapax)

  1. cat
    • c. 600 CE – 625 CE, Isidorus Hispalensis, Etymologiae 12.2.38:
      Mūsiō appellātus, quod mūribus īnfestus sit. Hunc vulgus cattum ā captūra vocant.
      [A cat] is called mūsiō because it is deadly to mice. People call it cattus from catching.

Usage notes

  • Gender and inflection are unattested. Gaffiot gives it as "mūsiō, ōnis, m.", Georges as "musio, ōnis, f.".

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative mūsiō mūsiōnēs
Genitive mūsiōnis mūsiōnum
Dative mūsiōnī mūsiōnibus
Accusative mūsiōnem mūsiōnēs
Ablative mūsiōne mūsiōnibus
Vocative mūsiō mūsiōnēs

Synonyms

Descendants

  • Catalan: moix
  • Italian: micio
  • Sicilian: muciu

Further reading

  • mūsĭo in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 1006.
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