I know what it it means to spay an animal, but I want to know if anybody knows why it's called 'spay'. I can understand why in male animals it's called 'neuter' but i dont understand where the word 'spay' comes from that applies to female animals.
2006-10-16 05:18:39 · 8 answers · asked by jjuneified 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
I love how only two people actually payed attention to this question. Thank You Brian L and KL.
2006-10-16 05:34:51 · update #1
Comes from the late middle-english word "spayen," meaning to cut.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/spay
2006-10-16 05:26:03 · answer #1 · answered by Brian L 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Spay most recently comes from the Middle English~spayen, aphetic < Anglo-French ~espeier < Old French espeer, to cut with a sword < espee, sword < Latin ~ spatha, flat blade.
The etymology is the origin and development of a word that traces it back as far as possible. Each " < " goes further back in time and origin.
But if I simply told you it comes from the Latin word spatha meaning flat blade it still wouldn't make any sense without giving you the connections of the words development.
I hope I have helped your understanding of the word you questioned as well as the etymology of words in general. Nearly all dictionaries give the etymology along with the definition of each word.
2006-10-16 06:05:56 · answer #2 · answered by allannela 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hi JJ, They call it spay for girls.They have to go inside the female and remove all the female organs that can product puppy,kitten and so on.So what they are doing is making the females healther and stoping diseases.Plus alot of unwanted puppies and so on,from being put down.
Clowmy
2006-10-16 05:35:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
The being of the word "spay" is the removal of the ovaries, thus, they call de-sexing of females "spaying."
2006-10-16 05:26:32 · answer #4 · answered by KL 5 · 1⤊ 3⤋
In short: To surgically remove an animal's ovaries.
2006-10-16 05:27:25 · answer #5 · answered by "Teh" Leester 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
It means to get them fixed making sure they dont have kittens or puppies with another Sex taking there insides like ppl have their tubes tied so they wont have anymore kids..
2006-10-16 05:25:26 · answer #6 · answered by darigrlfrnd 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋
I'm an Aussie girl and over here we call it De Sexing boy or girl.
Much easier
2006-10-16 05:22:22 · answer #7 · answered by the star fairy 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
it's referring to the two different procedures. neutering is castration, spaying is an ovariohysterectomy.
2006-10-16 05:28:16 · answer #8 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 4⤋