Where does “kitten” come from?
Kitten derives from Middle English kitoun, from Middle English cat, from Old English catt, from Proto-Germanic kattuz, from Latin cattus, a word of uncertain ultimate origin referring to the domesticated feline animal.
kitten (English): A young cat, especially before sexual maturity; A...
Definitions
- A young cat, especially before sexual maturity; A...
Ancestry of “kitten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | kitoun | kitten |
| 2 | Middle English | cat | cat |
| 3 | Old English | catt | cat |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *kattu | — |
Words derived from “kitten”