Standard Lemma guide

cat-o'-nine-tails

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A scourge (multi-tail whip) having nine, often knotted, whipcords, formerly used for flogging as naval punishment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: nautical, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A similarly constructed leather nine-tail whip, as used in British penal colonies and certain armies.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a whip with nine knotted cords

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • British sailors feared the cat

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cat

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: whip

History

Etymology

From cat + o' + nine + tails, cat referring to the inflicted wounds resembling the scratches of a cat. First attested in 1695.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 九尾鞭 — nine-corded whip
  • Chinese Mandarin: 九尾猫 (jiǔwěi māo) — nine-corded whip
  • Czech: důtky — nine-corded whip
  • Czech: devítiocasá kočka — nine-corded whip
  • Danish: nihalet kat — nine-corded whip
  • Dutch: kat met negen staarten — nine-corded whip
  • Esperanto: naŭvosta kato — nine-corded whip
  • Finnish: yhdeksänhäntäinen kissa — nine-corded whip
  • French: chat à neuf queues — nine-corded whip
  • German: neunschwänzige Katze — nine-corded whip
  • Hebrew: חָתוּל בַּעַל תִּשְׁעַת הַזְנָבוֹת (katul ba'al tish'at zenavot) — nine-corded whip
  • Hungarian: kilencfarkú macska — nine-corded whip
  • Indonesian: cambuk — nine-corded whip
  • Italian: gatto a nove code — nine-corded whip
  • Korean: 아홉꼬리 고양이 (ahopkkori goyang'i) — nine-corded whip
  • Norwegian: nihalet katt — nine-corded whip
  • Norwegian: katt — nine-corded whip
  • Polish: kańczug — nine-corded whip
  • Portuguese: chicote — nine-corded whip
  • Russian: ко́шка (kóška) — nine-corded whip
  • Russian: девятихво́стка (devjatixvóstka) — nine-corded whip
  • Spanish: gato de nueve colas — nine-corded whip
  • Swedish: niosvansad katt — nine-corded whip