PIŚ

Saanich

Etymology

Borrowed from English fish. The sense of “cat” is based on the behaviour of cats hunting fish as well as conflation of PUS (in turn from English puss).

Noun

PIŚ (Americanist spelling píš)

  1. fish (any marine vertebrate animal)
  2. (by extension) cat, domestic cat (Felis catus)
    Synonym: PUS

Derived terms

  • PEL¸IPŚ (“kittens”)

References

  • Timothy Montler (2018), SENĆOŦEN: A Dictionary of the Saanich Language‎[1], electronic edition, Victoria, BC: W̱SÁNEĆ School Board, page 403
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