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English word origin

Etymology of Cato

From Latin Cato. A cognomen made particularly famous by Cato the Elder and Younger, members of the gens Porcia.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A male given name from Latin. · An unincorporated community in Jefferson Township, Pike County, Indiana. · An unincorporated community in Crawford County, Kansas. · A township in Montcalm County, Michigan.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Latin Cato. A cognomen made particularly famous by Cato the Elder and Younger, members of the gens Porcia.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionCatola

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "Cato"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin Cato"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Cato",
      "Cato#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "cognomen",
      "cognomen"
    ],
    [
      "gens",
      "gens#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "Porcia",
      "Porcia"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name from Latin.",
        "An unincorporated community in Jefferson Township, Pike County, Indiana.",
        "An unincorporated community in Crawford County, Kansas.",
        "A township in Montcalm County, Michigan."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "fdd99510d5bc9d43081652479e03a4125824131dcaacb60eae06c1f61e216b09",
      "rawRecordSha256": "40ca0bddcb3d9a851241cb2df0cf6bc7e6991db89a6a5d55e9a93f05efa3da1f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 777175
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname from French.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French Catherine. Used as a matronymic.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "Catherine"
      },
      "expansion": "French Catherine"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Catherine",
      "Catherine#French"
    ],
    [
      "matronymic",
      "matronymic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from French."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "6c752d36ae574762ef6b97c21ea13287d3f45998bbd5af2a258fc15538c62577",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3437a479d2102fa8e54e5be80653bf84ad886b2e83fe8237fe192f48ba0f71d7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 777176
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Cato →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Q2F0bw