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cater-cornered

[ kat-i-kawr-nerd, kat-ee-, kat-er- ]
/ ˈkæt ɪˌkɔr nərd, ˈkæt i-, ˈkæt ər- /
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adjective
adverb
diagonally.
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Also cat·er·cor·ner, cat·er-cor·ner, cat·ty-cor·ner, cat·ty-cor·nered, kit·ty-cor·ner, kit·ty-cor·nered .

Origin of cater-cornered

First recorded in 1830–40; dialectal cater (adverb) diagonally (probably to be identified with obsolete cater “four,” from Middle French, quatre, from Latin quattuor ) + cornered
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cater-cornered in a sentence

  • I walked directly toward the entrance—a long kitty-corner across the street.

    The Telenizer|Don Thompson

British Dictionary definitions for cater-cornered

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
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