grimalkin

[gri-mal-kin, -mawl-]

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noun

a cat.

an old female cat.

an ill-tempered old woman.

Origin of grimalkin

1595–1605; apparently alteration of gray¹ + malkin, diminutive of Maud proper name; see -kin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for grimalkin

puma, panther, tabby, kitty, lynx, tiger, cougar, lion, puss, kitten, leopard, bobcat, jaguar, tomcat, pussy, ocelot, tom, cheetah, mouser, malkin

Examples from the Web for grimalkin

Historical Examples of grimalkin

And Mrs. Grimalkin, the old cat, said that there were faults on both sides.
Little Folks (July 1884)
Various
He too pitched on the top of the fence directly in front of Grimalkin.
Stories of Animal Sagacity
W.H.G. Kingston
So narrow was it, however, that even Grimalkin could not venture to move fast.
Stories of Animal Sagacity
W.H.G. Kingston
Grimalkin decides to kill a canary in a neighbouring verandah.
Three Elephant Power
Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson
Then he told the Farmer about the bargain he had made with Grimalkin.
The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old India
W.H.D. Rouse

British Dictionary definitions for grimalkin

grimalkin

noun

an old cat, esp an old female cat

a crotchety or shrewish old woman

Word Origin for grimalkin

C17: from grey + malkin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for grimalkin

1620s, name given to a cat (cf. Shakespeare's Gray-Malkin, in "Macbeth," 1605), hence any cat, especially an old she-cat; from gray + Malkin, diminutive of fem. proper name Matilda or Maud.