definitions

cater-cornered

[ kat-i-kawr-nerd, kat-ee-, kat-er- ]
/ ˈkæt ɪˌkɔr nərd, ˈkæt i-, ˈkæt ər- /

adjective

diagonal.

adverb

diagonally.

RELATED WORDS

crosswise, sidelong, diagonally, catty-corner, cornerwise, kitty-corner, askew, obliquely, aslant, slantways, slantwise

Nearby words

catenate, catenation, catenoid, catenulate, cater, cater-cornered, cater-cousin, cateran, caterer, caterina, catering
Also cat·er·cor·ner, cat·er-cor·ner, catty-corner, catty-cornered, kitty-corner, kitty-cornered.

Origin of cater-cornered

1830–40; dial. cater (adv.) diagonally (probably to be identified with obsolete cater four < Middle French quatre < Latin quattuor) + cornered
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for catercorner

cater-cornered

/ (ˈkætəˌkɔːnəd) /

adjective, adverb

US and Canadian informal diagonally placed; diagonalAlso: catty-cornered, kitty-cornered

Word Origin for cater-cornered

C16 cater, from dialect cater (adv) diagonally, from obsolete cater (n) four-spot of dice, from Old French quatre four, from Latin quattuor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012