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The mishna, M'ila 5:1, discusses a woman wearing a קטלא, which the commentary Yachin and the one by Rambam say means a necklace made of or with gold. I wonder what the etymology of this word is, since the root קטל means "kill".

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    I think same as in english: "Choker". It's also in Shabbos 6:1.
    – Heshy
    Oct 19, 2020 at 19:26

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The Aruch says that "some" indeed explain it as related to the Aramaic root קטל, because the woman binds it fairly tightly around her neck so that she looks plump. (In a comment on the OP, Heshy points out that the English "choker" is similar.)

However, Musaf Ha'Aruch there (prefaced with א"ב, standing for אמר בנימין) and Kohut (אחי"ה, standing for אמר חנוך יהודה הכהן) trace it to Latin catella, a small chain (and thus related to the English word chain itself, as well as catenary, etc.)

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