grimalkin
/ɡɹɪˈmæl.kɪn/
"grimalkin" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“grimalkin” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cat, especially an elderly female.
Corpus desk
Index EN-grimalkin · grimalkin · English
grimalkin · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "G" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | grimalkin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɡɹɪˈmæl.kɪn/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “grimalkin” in English
Rare enough to double-check
grimalkin is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɡɹɪˈmæl.kɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for grimalkin in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From grey + malkin; literally "grey-haired cat" or "grey-haired woman". The correct English form is grimalkin, spelled G-R-I-M-A-L-K-I-N.
Definition
- 1A cat, especially an elderly female.
- 2A bad-tempered old woman; a crone.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how grimalkin appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Servant:..."Commend me unto Titton Tatton and to Puss thy Catton, and tell her that Grimalkin is dead.".
As fair Grimalkin, who, though the youngeſt of the Feline Family, degenerates not in Feroſity from the elder Branches of her Houſe, and though inferior in Strength, is equal in Fierceneſs to the noble Tyger himſelf, when a little Mouſe, whom it hath long tormented in Sport, eſcapes from her Clutches for a while, frets, ſcolds, growls, ſwears; but if the T…
Etymology
From grey + malkin; literally "grey-haired cat" or "grey-haired woman".
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.