Comments on Etymology, Volume 53, Issue 8

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English

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Abstract

The cat figure in Linear B sign 80 (with antecedents) likely derives ultimately from the nightly defeat of the Egyptian god of chaos (A pep, aka Apophis) by the sun god Ra, who took the form of the divine cat Mau. An alternative interpretation is set forth in Ferrara and Weingarten 2022, which sees the cat portrayals for wool or woolen products in Cretan Hieroglyphics as traceable to the cat sound /ma/ appearing by coincidence in Greek μa)J,"6c; 'wool' (possibly of pre-Greek origin). Perhaps both factors played a role (multiple causation).

Recommended Citation

(2024) "Comments on Etymology, Volume 53, Issue 8," Comments on Etymology: Vol. 53: Iss. 8, Article 1.
Available at: https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/coe/vol53/iss8/1