Mew
/mjuː/noun
To make a cat's cry; also, to confine or shed feathers, depending on usage.
Did you know?English has two separate old words spelled mew: one imitating a cat’s cry, and another from French/Latin meaning a cage or place of confinement, which is why the same spelling can feel weirdly enchanted and trapped at once.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*meu-
“An imitative base associated with low, indistinct sounds”
Latin
Latin
mūgīre
“To bellow or low like cattle”
Old French
Old French
mue
“A cage, coop, or place for keeping hawks; also a moulting place”
Middle English
English
mewen
“To cry like a cat”
Middle English
English
mew
“A cage or enclosure, especially for birds or hawks”
Modern English
English
mew
“To utter a cat-like cry; also, a cage or enclosure in historical usage”