ድመት
dəmät/ˈdɨmːət/feminine
The Amharic word for cat is ድመት (dəmät).
ድመት is used to refer to the domestic species of cat.
Meaning: domestic species (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈdɨmːət/. The romanization is dəmät.
Did you know?
- The word ድመት is written using an abugida script. Unlike an alphabet, each single character in this system represents a consonant and a vowel combined into one symbol.
- Linguists have confirmed that ድመት is not related to the Standard Babylonian word 𒁺𒈠𒈬 meaning 'leopard'. The similarity in sound is considered a mere coincidence.
- The pronunciation of ድመት includes a geminate or doubled consonant sound. This phonetic feature is a key characteristic of the Amharic language that differs from English phonology.
Examples in context
- ድመት ወተት ትወዳለች።dimet wetet tiwodalech.The cat likes milk.
- ትናንት አንድ ድመት አየሁ።tinant and dimet ayehu.I saw a cat yesterday.
Example conversation
Two people are talking about a pet at home.
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethዳዊት፣ ድመት አየህ?Dawit, dimet ayeh?Dawit, did you see a cat?
- ዳዊት Dawitአዎ፣ ድመቷ ሶፋው ላይ ናት።Awo, dimetua sofaw lay nat.Yes, the cat is on the sofa.
- ኤልሳቤጥ Elsabethድመቷ በጣም ቆንጆ ናት።Dimetua betam konjo nat.The cat is very beautiful.
- ዳዊት Dawitአዎ፣ እኔም እወዳታለሁ።Awo, enem ewodatalhu.Yes, I love her too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cat” translations and entries ድመት, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ድመት, CC BY-SA 4.0.
