ܩܛܘ
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Etymology
From an indeterminate source. Compare Classical Syriac ܩܛܐ (qaṭṭā), Arabic قِطّ (qiṭṭ), Old Armenian կատու (katu), Byzantine Greek κάττα (kátta), Russian кот (kot), Basque katu and English cat.
Pronunciation
- (Standard) IPA(key): [qɑːtˤoː]
Noun
ܩܵܛܘܿ • (qāṭō) f sg (plural ܩܵܛܹܐ (qāṭē), feminine ܩܵܛܘܿܬ݂ܵܐ (qāṭōṯā))
- cat
- ܐ݇ܙܝܼܠ ܝܠܵܗ̇ ܩܵܛܘܿ ܘܪܵܩܕܝܼ ܥܲܩܘܼܒܪܹ̈ܐ
- zīl ìlāh qāṭō w-rāqdī ˁaqubrē
- when the cat’s away, the mice will play
- ܫܒ݂ܘܿܩ ܚܕ݂ܵܐ ܩܵܛܘܿ ܚܵܠܒ݂ܵܐ ܠܘܼܟ݂ ܘܠܵܐ ܚܕ݂ܵܐ ܡܵܬ݂ܵܐ ܝܵܗ݇ܒ݂ܵܐ ܠܘܼܟ݂
- šḇōq ḥḏā qāṭō ḥālḇā lōḵ w-lā ḥḏā māṯā yāḇā lōḵ
- it is always better to live with what you have instead of depending on others
- (literally, “let a cat provide you with milk, not a village give it to you”)
Usage notes
While the word is normally considered feminine, it may occasionally be masculine when specifically referring to a male. In some dialects, this word is masculine and only refers to male cats.
Inflection
| isolated forms | with possessive pronouns | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| state | form | person | singular | plural | ||||
| m | f | |||||||
| singular | absolute | – | 1st person | ܩܵܛܝܼ (qāṭī) | ܩܵܛܘܼܢ (qāṭūn) | |||
| construct | – | 2nd person | ܩܵܛܘܼܟ݂ (qāṭōḵ) | ܩܵܛܵܟ݂ܝ (qāṭāḵ) | ܩܵܛܵܘܟ݂ܘܿܢ (qāṭāwḵōn) | |||
| emphatic | ܩܵܛܘܿ (qāṭō) | 3rd person | ܩܵܛܘܼܗܝ (qāṭūh) | ܩܵܛܘܿܗ̇ (qāṭōh) | ܩܵܛܲܝܗܘܿܢ (qāṭayhōn) | |||
| plural | absolute | – | 1st person | ܩܵܛܘܵܬ݂ܝܼ̈ (qāṭwāṯī) | ܩܵܛܘܵܬ݂ܲܢ̈ (qāṭwāṯan) | |||
| construct | – | 2nd person | ܩܵܛܘܵܬ݂ܘܼ̈ܟ݂ (qāṭwāṯōḵ) | ܩܵܛܘܵܬ݂ܵܟ݂ܝ̈ (qāṭwāṯāḵ) | ܩܵܛܘܵܬ݂ܵܘ̈ܟ݂ܘܿܢ (qāṭwāṯāwḵōn) | |||
| emphatic | ܩܵܛ̈ܘܵܬ݂ܵܐ (qāṭwāṯā) | 3rd person | ܩܵܛ̈ܘܵܬ݂ܹܗ (qāṭwāṯēh) | ܩܵܛ̈ܘܵܬ݂ܵܗ̇ (qāṭwāṯāh) | ܩܵܛܘܵܬ݂ܗ̈ܘܿܢ (qāṭwāṯhōn) | |||
Synonyms
- ܫܘܼܢܵܪܵܐ (šunnārā) (rare, formal)
Derived terms
Classical Syriac
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [qatˤtˤu]
Noun
ܩܛܘ • (transliteration needed) c (plural ܩܛܘܬܐ or ܩܛܐ)
- alternative form of ܩܛܐ