Hebrew _h'atul_ vs. Arabic _qit't'_ (was Re: THEORY nouns and cases)

From: "Adam Walker" <carrajena@...>

> Asa far as the origin of "cat" in the European
> languages, my Spaninsh etymological dictionary says:
>
> Gato 'mamífero carnívero doméstico, _Felis cattus_':
> latín tardío _cattus_, _gattus_ 'gato', posiblemente
> de origen camítico (de la misma familia que el beréber
> _kaddîska_ y que el nubiense _kadi:s, los dos =
> 'gato').
I was aware of the Nubian origin, but didn't know the Berber. I wonder if
the original word refers to cats in general (including lions and tigers and
other big cats), or just the small cats the ancient Egyptians and Nubians
had for pets.

The Egyptian word is a more onomatopoeic _m3w_, which is more like Chinese
_m(i)ao_.

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