Etymology

catnap

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Today it means: A brief, light sleep, usually during the daytime. Full definition →

First used 1820sEnglish cat ← Middle English cat ← Old English catt
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catnap · noun, verb1

A historical illustration of countryfolk and townsfolk catnapping with their pets. A farrier taking a midday catnap. From cat + nap. Named in reference to the feline habit of taking multiple, brief, and light naps throughout the day to conserve energy, rather than sleeping for one long, uninterrupted block.

catnap · verb2

  1. Proto-Germanic*kattuz
  2. Proto-West Germanic*kattu
  3. Old Englishcatt
  4. Middle Englishcat
  5. Englishcat
  6. English todaycatnap

From cat + -nap.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1820s A brief, light sleep, usually during the daytime.
  • from 1850s To take a catnap (short sleep or nap).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.