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

kitten traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse kytja

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

via Old Norse kutta

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsekutta—
2Proto-Germanickuttanąto cut

Words derived from “kitten”

Every word from Proto-Germanic kutjaną →Every word from Old Norse kytja →
kitten — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer