OpenTube

Are pets called 'pets' because we pet them?

Words Unravelled

188,693 views

In this episode, Rob and Jess dig into the origins of the words we use for our furry, feathered, and occasionally scaly companions.
🐕 Where does the word 'dog' come from?
🐈 What does 'cat' literally mean?
🐹 Are guinea pigs even from Guinea?
These questions answered, and many more, in this edition of Words Unravelled dedicated to our beloved pets.

👕 OUR MERCH 👚
US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreads...
EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreads...

👂LISTEN: https://podfollow.com/words-unravelle...
or search for "Words Unravelled" wherever you get your podcasts.

==LINKS==
Rob's YouTube channel: robwords
Jess' Useless Etymology blog: https://uselessetymology.com/
Rob on X: x.com/robwordsyt
Jess on TikTok: tiktok.com/@jesszafarris

#etymology #wordfacts #English

20 Comments

@bosco_guitar 5 months ago

You can distinguish an alligator from a crocodile by paying attention to whether the animal sees you later or in a while.

@RayWhiting 11 months ago

at 3:57 - Pet peeve. For many years I have told people, "I have a several pet peeves ... and a few feral peeves that live under the porch."

@TheFireMonkey 10 months ago

14:30 - Silvie, my cat, assures me that the word "cat" means "Lord and Master" - I mean, she should know, shouldn't she? 🐒🐵

@Azeria 11 months ago

This new feature where it shows ‘collaborating channels’ as part of the channel name is so funny in this case. “Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris and RobWords”

@user-qc7ds9sj1g 11 months ago

If I ever have a dog I’ll name him Peeve so I can introduce him thus: “This is my pet, Peeve.”

@m.a.sanderson5016 11 months ago

I think "budgie smuggler" refers to a specific kind of men's bathing suit...a Speedo or other very revealing kind where the "budgie" was on display. Australians are so good with words.😊

@mirandarensberger6919 11 months ago

Additional fun fact about puddle-hound poodles: The classic poodle haircut, with the poofy bits around the knees and elbows, was also about them being water dogs. They would cut off most of the hair to reduce drag in the water, but keep it in those specific spots to keep the dogs' joints warm.

@ComfortRoller 11 months ago

The cats woke me up for breakfast, now we are snugged up for a watch

@PaulShendtown 11 months ago

My family is from the North - East of England where "pet" is used as not only a term of endearment but commonly as a general greeting; "Hello pet..." Indeed my old mum even having not lived up there for many years still calls everyone "pet"
I also have a memory of my mum's own mum calling us children "pet-lamb"

@napalmholocaust9093 11 months ago

The hamster's German rat name just reminds me that it is perfectly fine to say Spanish flu, but not israeli colony collapse disorder, the thing destroying all the bees.

@_chrisr_ 11 months ago

From what I recall, Byron had consulted the rules about what pets could be kept at the college and it specifically disallowed regular pets like cats and dogs but was silent on bears...

@DrBeah 11 months ago (edited)

"Popette" is also used in Pirates of the Caribbean. And "Fido" is first person singular Latin verb meaning: "I am faithful".

@michaelgrabner8977 11 months ago (edited)

The mentioned German term "Kater" for hang-over is kinda like an "eggcorn" because it actually derives from the medical term "Katarrh"/"catarrh" and not from "Kater"/"Tom cat" but which sounds close enough to mix it up and therefore the casual term for a hang-over became "Kater" as like as "Tom cat" but without meaning "Tom cat"

@AlEndo01 11 months ago

Had a pair of ferrets several years ago. One, we named "Out" as in "Ferret Out" and the other, because of my medical training, was Ferritin (named for the iron binding protein).

@skippern666 11 months ago

I love how Jess finds at least one word to make Rob blush for each episode.

@G.D.1968 11 months ago (edited)

“Hamsteren” is a Dutch verb that means storing / hoarding. Also interesting “welp”, which sounds like the older English term for puppies, is the Dutch term for a young wild cat (lions, tigers, etc) in Dutch.

@OzSteve9801 11 months ago

The ancient Egyptian word for cat was apparently Maow. The interesting thing is that according to all the documents currently found, dogs all had different names like Mighty in Hunting or Fierce Defender, but every cat was called Maow.