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Glite Dictionary
Burmese cat

Burmese cat

1.5
A house cat with short hair, a compact body, and a solid dark brown or grey coat
  • noun
  • /ˈbɜrˌmiz kæt/
translation icon : gato birmano
  • The Burmese cat has a sleek body and striking blue eyes.

Examples

  • His Burmese cat has a beautiful dark brown coat that shines in the sunlight.

  • The Woodbines' Burmese cat was watching the wren closely.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • She adopted a playful Burmese cat that loves to curl up in her lap.

Surface Forms

Burmese cat singular
Burmese cats plural

Morphology

Burmese + cat

The meaning 'a cat from Burma / of Burmese origin' is directly and compositionally derived from combining the adjective 'Burmese' (pertaining to Myanmar) with 'cat'. This is a straightforward adjective+noun pattern common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the basic meaning (though they may not know specific breed characteristics).

Etymology

The name Burmese cat comes from cats brought from Burma (now Myanmar) to the West; people noticed their dark, shiny coats and friendly nature and called them Burmese cats. That's why today Burmese cat means 'a breed of domestic cat'.