Word of the Day for Tuesday 29th April 2014
Grimalkin\ gri-MAL-kin, -MAWL- \,
noun;
1. A cat.
2. An old female cat.
3. An ill-tempered old woman.
Quotes:
In the dead of the night there was a fearful caterwauling; some grimalkin
was uncivil to her; then there was a scramble, then a clapper-clawing; then both parties rolled off the roof and tumbled from a great
height among the trees on the hillside.
-- Washington Irving, Tales of the Alhambra , 1832
I have never felt more comfortable in my spirit. I had no thought of you until
my Grimalkin mewed at my window, and to admit him I had need to face
the garden where we…
-- Rebecca West, Harriet Hume , 1929
Origin:
Grimalkin is apparently an alteration of the words gray and malkin, which is a diminutive form of the name Maud .
Thanks to: www.dictionary.com
No comments:
Post a Comment