Kitten definition
To give birth to (kittens)
verb
A young cat.
noun
A young cat.
noun
To give birth to kittens.
verb
One of the young of various other small felines and of certain other mammals, such as beavers.
noun
To bear kittens.
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
kitten
Plural:
kittensOrigin of kitten
- Middle English kitoun probably from Old North French caton diminutive of cat cat from Late Latin cattus
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English kiton, kitoun, kyton (“kitten”), diminutive of cat (“cat”). First element probably from Middle English kiteling (“kitten, kit”), from Old Norse ketlingr (“kitten”), or possibly from Anglo-Norman *kiton, Old French chiton, diminutive of cat, chat (“cat”), from Late Latin cattus. Compare Low German kitten (“kitten”). More at kitling, cat, -en.
From Wiktionary