Cathay

American  

[ka-they] / kæˈθeɪ /

noun

Literary or Archaic.

1. China.

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Cathay British  

/ kæˈθeɪ /

noun

1. a literary or archaic name for China

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Etymology

Origin of Cathay

< Medieval Latin Cat ( h ) aya < Turkic; compare Tatar Kïtai

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Cathay

Cathay Pacific carried 17.5 percent more passengers, while its low-cost subsidiary HK Express carried 9.8 percent more passengers compared to the same period in 2025.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

Cathay Pacific’s 293 0.69%increase; green up pointing triangle passenger revenue climbed 26% to HK$43.20 billion in the first half, with its passenger load factor improving to 87.5% from 84.8% a year ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

County case, a person with measles arrived on a flight from Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific Airlines Flight 884, which landed at LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal on June 11.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

A round-trip flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite for early June was priced at approximately $10,000 on Monday, according to the carrier’s website.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026

Would Samarkand or Cathay or Cipango have suffered the same fate if visited?

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck