catkin

[ kat-kin ]

/ ˈkæt kɪn /

noun Botany.

a spike of unisexual, apetalous flowers having scaly, usually deciduous bracts, as of a willow or birch.

Nearby words

catiline, cation, cation exchange, cation-exchange resin, cationic detergent, catkin, catlike, catlin, catling, catmint, catnap

Origin of catkin

First recorded in 1570–80, catkin is from the Dutch word katteken little cat (now obsolete). See cat, -kin

Also called ament.

Related forms

cat·kin·ate

[kat-kuh-neyt] /ˈkæt kəˌneɪt/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for catkin

Trees in the partially protected orchard fared somewhat better in regard to catkin injury than those in the more exposed orchard.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-Fifth Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association
Catkin killing was very severe in both orchards and only those varieties which had a few live catkins are listed.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-Fifth Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association
In winter the light could be seen on the other side; now catkin, bud, and opening leaf have thickened and check the view.
Hodge and His Masters|Richard Jefferies
The Taylor every year sets a bunch of young nutlets, but I have never yet seen a catkin on it.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-Fifth Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association

Hardiness of catkin also varied greatly and rather consistently from year to year.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Eighth Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association

British Dictionary definitions for catkin

catkin

/ (ˈkætkɪn) /

noun

an inflorescence consisting of a spike, usually hanging, of much reduced flowers of either sex: occurs in birch, hazel, etcAlso called: ament

Word Origin for catkin

C16: from obsolete Dutch katteken kitten, identical in meaning with French chaton, German Kätzchen

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

Science definitions for catkin

catkin

[ kăt′kĭn ]

A long, thin, indeterminate inflorescence of tiny, petalless flowers growing on willows, birches, oaks, poplars, and certain other trees. The flowers on a catkin are either all male or all female. The female flowers are usually pollinated by the wind. Also called ament See illustration at inflorescence.