At 8:03:19 PM on Saturday, June 30, 2007, alexandru_mg3
wrote:
[...]
> 3. Where are Germanic counterparts of English puss?
OED: A word common to several Teutonic langs., usually as a
call-name for the cat (rarely becoming as in Eng. a synonym
of 'cat'): cf. Du. <poes>, LG. <puus>, <puus-katte>,
<puus-man>, Sw. dial. <pus>, <katte-pus>, Norw. <puse>,
<puus>; also, Lith. <puz>, <puiz>, Ir. and Gael. <pus>.
Etymology unknown: perh. originally merely a call to attract
a cat.
SAOB gives <puss> as the Swedish dialect form, suggesting
that it's probably onomatopoetic.
Brian