Moggies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A colloquial term used to describe domestic cats, often of mixed breeds
2. Referring humorously to felines that are typically friendly and sociable
3. Used informally to denote household pets that may lack pedigree but are beloved companions

Etymology: "Moggies" is the plural of "moggy", and the word's own origin is uncertain. The most widely given explanation is that it began as "Mog", a Scots or Northern English variant of "maggie", meaning "girl", itself a pet form of Maggie, a diminutive of Margaret and Margery. Adding the diminutive ending "-y" would give a familiar name for a cat, much as the pet name "Puss" or "Tabby" might suggest. The word is first recorded for mongrel cats in Cockney, the London dialect. A separate and much later sense, the name of a rugged four-wheel drive truck, is linked to the Unimog, a brand popular in rural parts of South Africa and Zimbabwe. This is a different origin from the cat sense and should not be confused with it.

Synonyms: cats, felines