Cathay Hisao Migo (, a Japanese botanist) published a paper describing "Iris cathayensis" (meaning "Chinese iris") in the "Journal of the Shanghai Science Institute". Below is the etymological progression from Khitan to Cathay as the word travelled westward: In many Turkic and Slavic languages a form of "Cathay" (e.g., , "Kitay") remains the usual modern name for China. In Javanese, the word ꦏꦠꦻ (Katai, Katé) exists, and it refers to 'east asian', literally mean 'dwarf' or 'short-legged' in today's language. "Travels in the Land of Kublai Khan" by Marco Polo has a story called "The Road to Cathay". In the English
Cathay, North Dakota Cathay, North Dakota Cathay is a city in Wells County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 43 at the 2010 census. Cathay was founded in 1893. Cathay had its start by the building of the railroad through that territory. Cathay is located at (47.553931, -99.411403). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. As of the census of 2010, there were 43 people, 19 households, and 12 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 29 housing units at an average density of .