A grimalkin, also known as a greymalkin, is an archaic term for a cat."grimalkin, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, Web. 16 June 2015 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."malkin, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2014. Web. 27 October 2014. Scottish legend makes reference to the grimalkin as a faery cat that dwells in the highlands.
During the early modern period, the name grimalkinand cats in generalbecame 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. In Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 1, the First Witch says, "I come, Graymalkin" to her familiar (Shakespeare 1.1.8). In Roger Zelazny's fantasy novel A Night in the Lonesome October (1993), "Graymalk" is the name of a cat owned by a witch, possibly in reference to Macbeth.
See also Black cat Kellas cat Cat-sìth
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