kitten

[kit-n]

noun

1. a young cat.

verb (used with or without object)

1. (of cats) to give birth; bear.

kitten

/ ˈkɪtən /

noun

1. a young cat

2. US equivalent: have a cow. informal,  to react with disapproval, anxiety, etc

   she had kittens when she got the bill

verb

1. (of cats) to give birth to (young)

Other Word Forms

• kitten-like adjective
• kittenlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of kitten¹

1350–1400; Middle English kitoun, apparently blend of kiteling kitling and Middle French chitoun, variant of chaton kitten

Word History and Origins

Origin of kitten¹

C14: from Old Northern French caton, from _cat ¹ ; probably influenced by Middle English kiteling

Idioms and Phrases

see have a fit (kittens); weak as a kitten.

Example Sentences

At the end of a long day, I sometimes spend a few mindless minutes scrolling absurd clips of these cartoon cats having affairs—or of their kittens getting flushed down the toilet.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Attendee Lien Nguyen, whose love for the kittens overrode her cat allergy, admitted she’d drop her book the second a cat came into her vicinity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Just a couple of phone calls and there they were, kittens for everyone’s enjoyment.

Read more on Salon

Genovese allegedly stole two kittens from the same shelter on Jan. 15 that are still missing.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She added: "It seems you chose the kittens because they have emotion and you would have power over them."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• kitty