kitten
[ kit-n ]
/ ˈkɪt n /
noun
a young cat.
verb (used with or without object)
(of cats) to give birth; bear.
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Nearby words
Origin of kitten
1350–1400; Middle English kitoun, apparently blend of kiteling kitling and Middle French chitoun, variant of chaton kitten
Related formskit·ten·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for kitten
British Dictionary definitions for kitten
kitten
/ (ˈkɪtən) /
noun
a young cat
have kittens or have a canary British informal to react with disapproval, anxiety, etcshe had kittens when she got the bill US equivalent: have a cow
verb
(of cats) to give birth to (young)
Derived Formskitten-like, adjective
Word Origin for kitten
C14: from Old Northern French caton, from cat 1; probably influenced by Middle English kiteling
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for kitten
kitten
late 14c., probably from an Anglo-French variant of Old French chitoun (Old North French caton) "little cat," from chat "cat," from Late Latin cattus (see cat). Applied playfully to a young girl, a sweetheart, from 1870.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with kitten
kitten
see have a fit (kittens); weak as a kitten.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.