Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “kitten” come from?

kitten (Middle English) comes from Old Norse kytja, from Proto-Germanic kutjaną — to cut.

Ancestry of “kitten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsekytjahovel, small cottage
2Proto-Germanickutjanąto cut

Words derived from “kitten”

  • cut
  • cutting
  • cutter
  • shortcut
  • cutoff
  • haircut
  • woodcut
  • cutthroat
  • woodcutter
  • cutaway
  • crosscut
  • cutback
  • pointcut
  • uppercut
  • recut
  • intercut
  • cutworm
  • precut
  • stonecutter
  • cutover
  • cutwater
  • woodcutting
  • cuttingly
  • cutty
Every word from Proto-Germanic kutjaną →