Re: [tied] root *pVs- for cat

Gaelic piseag can not be from Celtic because it has a
/p-/. It also has a dimunitive ending -ag. Macbain's
book is based on a specific dialect, not Gaelic as a
whole or even standard Gaelic. I've seen other forms
of the word such as pus, puis. It IS from English,
given that the normal Gaelic word is cat, which is
from Latin. If you don't believe me, ask Kim Mc Cone
or another specialist in Gaelic and Celtic languagues.


--- alexandru_mg3 <alexandru_mg3@...> wrote:

> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Brian M. Scott"
> <BMScott@...> wrote:
> >
> > At 2:47:37 PM on Saturday, June 30, 2007,
> alexandru_mg3 wrote:
> >
> > > --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Joao S. Lopes"
> > > <josimo70@> wrote:
> >
> > >> They are mainly onomatopoeic. Not sure as PIE
> roots. And
> > >> if there was a PIE root for "cat", it would
> refer to the
> > >> wild cat, not the domestic one, that came to
> Europe
> > >> through North Africa (Latin cattus<North
> African).
> >
> > > Onomatopoeic yes, but old too...
> >
> > > Why you make reference only to Latin here,
> talking about PIE?
> >
> > > Gaelic : pishyakan
> >
> > This is obvious nonsense: <pishyakan> is
> impossible in
> > Gaelic orthography. There is a <piseag> 'kitten,
> young
> > cat', nom. pl. <piseigean>; according to MacBain,
> it's a
> > borrowing of English <pussy>.
> >
> > [...]
> >
> > Brian
> >
>
> I. Thanks Brian I only copied pishyakan from that
> site
> So the correct Gaelic word is <piseag>
> The Romanian word is <pisica> 'cat'
> It look likes one and the same word, isn't it?
> <piseag>,
> <pisica> ...both meaning (small) cat
>
> And please don't tell me that the Romanian is from
> English puss :)
>
> II. Next Webster (on-line) indicates 'origin
> unknown' for English puss
>
> "Main Entry: 1- puss
> Pronunciation: 'pus
> Function: noun
> Etymology: origin unknown
> 1 : CAT
> 2 : GIRL "
>
> Main Entry: 1- pussy
> Pronunciation: 'pu-sE
> Function: noun
> Inflected Form(s): plural puss·ies
> Etymology: 1- puss
> 1 : CAT
> 2 : a catkin of the pussy willow
>
> III. Could anybody help regarding a Slavic word
> pisica, too? What is
> its etymology?
>
>
> Thanks,
> Marius
>
>
>
>

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