English word origin

Etymology of moggy

Unknown, but probably originally Mog + -y, a Scots or Northern English variant of maggie (“girl”), from Maggie, a diminutive of Margaret and Margery. First attested in reference to mongrel cats in Cockney.

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 ↗

noun

A domestic cat, especially (depreciative or derogatory) a non-pedigree or unremarkable cat. · Synonym of girl: a female child or young woman. · Synonym of slattern: an unkempt or badly-dressed woman. · Synonym of scarecrow.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Word-formation componentMogen
Word-formation component-yen

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.

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      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
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      "expansion": "Unknown"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "Mog",
        "3": "-y",
        "id2": "diminutive"
      },
      "expansion": "Mog + -y"
    },
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        "2": "sco",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots"
    }
  ],
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      "maggie#English"
    ],
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      "girl"
    ],
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      "Maggie",
      "Maggie#English"
    ],
    [
      "Margaret",
      "Margaret#English"
    ],
    [
      "Margery",
      "Margery#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A domestic cat, especially (depreciative or derogatory) a non-pedigree or unremarkable cat.",
        "Synonym of girl: a female child or young woman.",
        "Synonym of slattern: an unkempt or badly-dressed woman.",
        "Synonym of scarecrow."
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      "tags": [
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        "Ireland",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adj

Irrational, out of touch.

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

Derived from the Unimog, a brand of rugged four-wheel drive trucks popular in rural areas of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
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        "Irrational, out of touch."
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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 moggy →

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-bW9nZ3k