grimalkin
Elderly female feline
A grimalkin is an old female cat, especially one that is thin, gray, or ill-tempered.
The word extends to a spiteful old woman.
Grimalkin appears most often in literary contexts with witchcraft associations—the archetypal witch's familiar: The grimalkin arched its back and hissed as the stranger approached.
Practitioner of dark arts
- familiarKnown from experience
- covenAssembly of witches
- cauldronLarge metal cooking pot
- spellcastingPerforming magical incantations
hex · broomstick · Halloween · black cat · curse · enchantment · sorcery · occult
Small furry housepet
Prophetic indicator
- bad luckUnfavorable chance events
- jinxCurse bringing misfortune
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- portentSign of future calamity
ill-fated · unlucky · foreboding · superstitious · curse · charm · moonlit · nocturnal
Old and outdated
- obsoleteNo longer in use
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
- datedOld-fashioned or courted
- bygoneOf earlier times
literary · Shakespearean · Middle English · quaint · historical · dusty · forgotten · Tudor
witch
Practitioner of dark arts
spellcasting · hex · broomstick · Halloween · black cat · curse · enchantment · sorcery · occult · supernatural
cat
Small furry housepet
tabby · mouser · fur · tail · meow · kitten · paws · prowl · pounce · hiss
omen
Prophetic indicator
portent · ill-fated · unlucky · foreboding · superstitious · curse · charm · moonlit · nocturnal · eerie
antiquated
Old and outdated
- obsoleteNo longer in use
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
- datedOld-fashioned or courted
bygone · literary · Shakespearean · Middle English · quaint · historical · dusty · forgotten · Tudor · Elizabethan
elderly
Advanced in age
weathered · hoary · venerable · geriatric · wizened · ancient · doddering · arthritic · creaky · haggard