Where does “kittenness” come from?
kittenness (English) comes from English kitten, from Middle English kitoun, from Middle English cat, from Old English catt, from Proto-West Germanic *kattu — cat.
kittenness (English): The quality of being a kitten
Definitions
- The quality of being a kitten
Ancestry of “kittenness”, step by step
kittenness traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English kitten
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | kitten | A young cat, especially before sexual maturity; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | kitoun | kitten |
| 3 | Middle English | cat | cat (feline) |
| 4 | Old English | catt | cat |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *kattu | cat |
via English Ness
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Ness | An Ulster princess and the mother of Conchobar mac Nessa and Findchoem in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Daughter of Eochaid Sálbuide. Also the mother of Cormac Cond Longas by incest with Conchobar mac Nessa |
| 2 | Middle English | nesse | — |
| 3 | Old English | næs | not, not at all; not; first/third-person singular... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | nasją | foothill; headland; cape |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | néh₂s | nose |