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miaou

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Etymology and origin of the French word miaou

Confidence
Established
Formation
Onomatopoeia
First attested
1552 Rabelais, Quart Livre More words from the 16th century

Pronunciation

Forms

miaou (interjection), m noun (plural miaous)[2][3] Earlier spellings myault (1552), miault (1611) and myaou (1576).[4][5][3]

Etymology

It is an onomatopoeia imitating the cry of a cat.[4][6][3] It was first written myault and miault, then myaou, before the modern spelling.[4][5][1] It belongs with the verb miauler “to mew”.[6][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Rabelais uses myault in the Quart Livre (1552) as a sound imitating a cat's cry.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

As a noun, miault is recorded by Cotgrave in 1611 for the mewing of a cat, and the form miaou appears in Claude d'Esternod's L'Espadon satyrique in 1619.[4][2] Children's language also uses miaou for the cat itself (un petit miaou).[5][7] Montherlant used the word figuratively, in an allusion to the tomcat's cry.[4]

Timeline

  • 1552 – Rabelais writes myault in the Quart Livre.[4][2]
  • 1576 – The spelling myaou is recorded.[3][5]
  • 1611 – Cotgrave records miault as a noun, “a mew”.[4]
  • 1619 – Miaou appears in Claude d'Esternod.[4][6][8]

Meanings

Interjection

  1. Meow: imitates the cry of a chat, as in Le chaton fait miaou.[3][1][7]

Noun

  1. The mew of a cat, a miaulement, as in On entendait les miaous du chaton derrière la porte.[4][2][3]
  2. (children's language) A cat, a pussycat: un petit miaou.[7][5]
  • miauler
  • miaulement

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  5. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
Cite this entry

“Miaou.” Etymologically, 15 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/miaou. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·