Grimalkin

For other uses, see Grimalkin (disambiguation).

A grimalkin, also known as a greymalkin, is an archaic term for a cat.^[1] The term stems from "grey" (the colour) plus "malkin", an archaic term with several meanings (a low class woman, a weakling, a mop, or a name) derived from a hypocoristic form of the female name Maud.^[2] Scottish legend makes reference to the grimalkin as a faery cat that dwells in the highlands.

Louis Le Breton's illustration of a grimalkin from the Dictionnaire Infernal

During the early modern period, the name grimalkin – and cats in general – became associated with the devil and witchcraft. Women tried as witches in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were often accused of having a familiar, frequently a grimalkin.

See also

• Black cat
• Kellas cat
• Cat-sìth