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Glite Dictionary
Persian cat

Persian cat

1 1.5
A long-haired cat with a round face, short nose, and calm nature
  • noun
  • /ˈpɜrʒən kæt/
translation icon : gato persa
  • It's the sort of idea that makes me wish I had a volcano-based lair, an army of faceless minions, and a white Persian cat to go with the mad cackling that describing it requires.
  • a white Persian cat

I remember her with her little Persian cat.

Examples

  • Foote, standing impatiently outside with her fat Persian cat in her arms.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • I had a Persian cat once.

    Men with Brooms (2002)

  • "Queen Milly was the Persian cat.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Sitting on top of the cabinet is a white Persian cat. #REBECCA#

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I find it difficult to believe that Donald Trump is secretly petting a white Persian cat.

    Blog text (2)

  • "Watch the claws, Muffin," the other said to the Persian cat.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • A king-sized bed with flounces and ruffles and a white Persian cat lying on a silk pillow, eyes wide, poised for flight.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • My Persian cat loves to cuddle on my lap while I read.

  • She adopted a playful Persian cat with fluffy fur and bright blue eyes.

  • The Persian cat sat gracefully on the windowsill, watching the birds outside.

Synonyms

Persian
vsPersian cat
1.2

A long-haired cat with a flat face and gentle nature

notes a calm friendly temperament and a short muzzle

How Furry

Persian cat
1 1.5
Siamese
1 1.9
short-haired
4 1.3
furless
1 3.0

Surface Forms

Persian cat singular
Persian cats plural

Morphology

Persian + cat

The meaning is directly compositional: 'Persian' specifies the type/origin/breed and 'cat' names the animal, so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a cat of the Persian breed (long fur, round face). This adjective+noun breed construction is cross-linguistically common and non-idiomatic, making the expression immediately understandable.

Etymology

Persian cat may come from the country 'Persia', now called Iran, where people kept long-haired cats for their soft fur and calm nature. Traders brought these round-faced, gentle cats to Europe, and so today Persian cat means the long-haired, round-faced pet we know.