Katze

Contents

German

Alternative forms

• Katz (chiefly in idioms)
• Katz'

Etymology

Old High German kazza, earlier *katta from Proto-Germanic *kattuz, from Late Latin catta, feminine of cattus. Akin to Old English catt (“cat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʰɑtsə/, /ˈkʰatsə/ (most of Germany)
• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑtːsə/ (Austro-Bavarian, Switzerland, regional Germany)

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio (Austria)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -atsə
• Hyphenation: Kat‧ze

Noun

Katze f (genitive Katze, plural Katzen, diminutive Kätzchen n or Kätzlein n, female Kätzin, male Kater)

1. house cat, Felis silvestris catus

   Synonym: Hauskatze

2. (specifically) a female house cat

   Synonym: Kätzin (uncommon)

3. cat (any member of the genus Felis)
4. (astronomy, historical) the obsolete constellation Felis

Usage notes

Katze is the common term to refer to a cat (both male and female ones). The derived form Kätzin is mostly restricted to poetic language and technical language.

Declension

Declension of Katze

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Katze	die	Katzen
genitive	einer	der	Katze	der	Katzen
dative	einer	der	Katze	den	Katzen
accusative	eine	die	Katze	die	Katzen

Antonyms

(female cat):

• Kater (“a male cat”)

Hyponyms

(any cat):

• Großkatze (“member of Pantherinae”)
• Kleinkatze
• Kater (“a male cat”)
• Kätzin (“a female cat”)

Hypernyms

(cat):

• Säugetier

Derived terms

• die Katze aus dem Sack lassen
• Katzenjammer
• Katzenjunges
• Katzenwelpe
• Katzenzunge
• Katz-und-Maus-Spiel
• Naschkatze
• Perserkatze
• Stinkkatze

 

Further reading

• Katze in Duden online

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Pennsylvania German

Noun

Katze

1. plural of Katz