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grimalkin

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An old or gray female cat, particularly associated with witches in folklore; derives from "gray" and "malkin" (a diminutive of the name Maud).

Detailed Definition
“Grimalkin” appears in Macbeth as a witch’s familiar, evoking superstition and domestic uncanny. In poetry, it symbolizes stealth, mystery, or feminine cunning. The term’s archaic flavor enhances Gothic or folkloric tone. Poets use it to inject eerie domesticity into supernatural scenes, where the familiar becomes threatening in liminal spaces like hearths or crossroads.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The grimalkin crept through moonlit halls,” in a gothic lyric; In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” “grimalkin” names the witch’s familiar cat; “Her eyes gleamed like a grimalkin’s in the dark,” a simile of cunning; Romantic poets used “grimalkin” to evoke mystery and stealth; “Beware the grimalkin that walks at midnight,” warns a folk charm; The old woman’s grimalkin purred beside the hearth, watching all.
Additional Notes
“Grimalkin” blends domesticity and witchcraft; famously invoked in Macbeth, it personifies feline mystery and supernatural agency, often serving as a familiar that blurs boundaries between pet, omen, and demon in Gothic verse.
Also Known As
cat old cat feline
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