How Do You Say “Cat” in Ancient Greek?

Admit it, this is a burning question in your mind because you are dying to speak Greek to your cat. Luckily, you have me, Miss Cuddlywumps, to inform and inspire you.

Ailouros on the Greek island of Santorini.
(Photo credit: Sander Hoogendoorn via Flickr)

The ancient Greek word for “cat” is ailouros, which sounds so much more sophisticated than “cat.” Ailouros has a certain beauty, a captivating allure. I, too, am beautiful and alluring, so I am trying to convince She of Little Talent to refer to me as an ailouros. So far she has not caught on. Too many syllables, perhaps. “Hey, cat” may be all she can handle. You see how I must suffer. [Sigh.]

And in case you are still wondering what the point is, in case you are still thinking that ancient Greek is just a waste of time, I will tell you this: If you are reading this because you enjoy cats, you are an ailurophile, a lover of cats. That is a modern English word taken from the Greek.

 You and your cat: ailurophile and ailouros. Purrrr...