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ArchivesRe: Minnaloushe meaning
in reply to a message by Karen
Yes, Minnaloushe was Yeats' cat, but unfortunately I don't know the origin of the lovely name.
Caprice - The Phantom of the BTN
Addicted to Joni Mitchell...
Caprice - The Phantom of the BTN
Addicted to Joni Mitchell...
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Replies
That's the answer given by Nicole March 26, 2012, but it's a bit of a stretch. On the face of it loushe seems a variant of louche, and is a family name that means "squinting" from Latin lusca/luscus, from the same root as lux "light", the original sense perhaps "squinting or shutting one eye (because of the light)". Minna meaning protective is also a stretch. It's a German abbreviation for Wilhelmina, which just means "Will (thought/desire)" + "helmet", not "protective" with a diminutive/genitive suffix to create a feminine (compare Carolina "of Charles" < Carol "Charles"). All this is purely speculative without a contemporary explanation from the family as to where the name came from.
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My cat is named Minnaloushe after Yeats’s poem, although he goes by Minnow. When I address him in French, I call him Minou ("mee-nu"), the generic kitty. Minnow/Minou derives from a root meaning small. I don't know where "-loushe" originally came from, but I'm guessing "lux" (light, Lucius). “Louche” means shady in the sense of disreputable. So when I call Minnow Minnaloushe, I'm either calling him "Little Light" or "Slim Shady"! Overall, I’d say the best interpretation is “Naughty Little Thing,” which is definitely accurate for my Minnow.
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