Spanish word

gato

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈgato/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncat

Example

El gato está en el sofá.

The cat is on the sofa.

Illustration for gato (cat)

More examples

Mi gato duerme en la caja.

My cat sleeps in the box.

Core concept

Sleek domestic feline with retractable claws.

Common phrases

  • gato negro

    black cat

  • gato callejero

    stray cat

  • tener un gato

    have a cat

Similar words

mascota: Animal kept to live with people, usually for companionship.
gatito: Very young cat not yet fully grown.
gata: Female cat.

Definition in Spanish

Gato mamífero felino doméstico conocido por su agilidad, sus garras retráctiles y su caracter a menudo independiente.

Word origin

From Late Latin cattus, which spread through the Romance languages and became Spanish gato by regular sound changes.

Usage tips

  • Also used for a car jack in many countries and common in idioms such as 'buscarle tres pies al gato', meaning to make something needlessly complicated.

Opposites

Related words

  • gatitokittennoun
  • gatunocatlikeadjective

Word lists with this word