grimalkin

grimalkin

An old grimalkin sits on a windowsill, watching the garden.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • An old female cat: "grimalkin" refers specifically to an aged female cat, often used in folklore or literary contexts.
    • A spiteful old woman: By extension, the term can be used as a derogatory or humorous description of a malicious or ill-tempered elderly woman.
Usage Examples

  • Noun (old female cat):

    • The witch's grimalkin sat by the fire, its yellow eyes glowing in the dark. (An old female cat associated with supernatural imagery.)
    • Our farm had a grimalkin that had seen countless litters of kittens. (An aged female cat with many offspring.)

  • Noun (spiteful old woman):

    • The neighbourhood grimalkin complained loudly about children playing on her lawn. (A cranky elderly woman.)
    • She was known as the local grimalkin, always ready with a sharp word. (A spiteful or ill-tempered old woman.)
Advanced Usage

  • Literary and folkloric use: "grimalkin" is often used in fantasy literature and witch lore, where it denotes a witch's familiar or a supernatural cat. The term appears in works like Shakespeare's Macbeth.

    • In the play, the First Witch calls to her familiar: "I come, Graymalkin!" (A reference to a witch's cat spirit.)

  • Figurative extension: The term can imply cunning or secretive behaviour, similar to that of a stealthy cat.

    • The old spy was a grimalkin, slipping through shadows unseen. (A person who is stealthy and secretive.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Graymalkin (n): an alternative spelling, often used in older texts.

    • The graymalkin crept through the garden at twilight. (The old grey cat moved quietly.)

  • Malkin (n): a shortened form, historically meaning a slatternly woman or a scarecrow.

    • The malkin in the field frightened the crows. (A scarecrow, sometimes used to describe a ragged figure.)
Synonyms
  • Old cat: (especially a female cat), (general term).
  • Spiteful old woman: , , , .
Related Idioms

  • "Old grimalkin": a set phrase used to emphasize age and often slyness.

    • Don't trust that old grimalkin; she's always scheming. (A cunning elderly person.)

  • "Like a grimalkin": to behave with feline stealth or spite.

    • She moved like a grimalkin through the crowded room. (With stealth and quietness.)