Wiktionary

kitten

See also: Kitten

English

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A kitten.

Etymology

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From Middle English kitoun, kytton, kyton, keton (“kitten”). Seemingly from, and usually explained as being from, unattested Anglo-Norman *kitoun, *ketun (compare Old French chitoun, cheton, chaton (“kitten”), diminutive of cat, chat (“cat”)); whence Modern French chaton (“kitten”). Similar words of Germanic origin may have reinforced this word; compare English kitling (“kit, kitten”), Low German Kitten (“kitten”), Icelandic kettlingur (“kitten”), Middle English chitte ("whelp, pup", see chit). The idea that kitoun, rather than being of Anglo-Norman origin, was in fact a purely Germanic derivation from one of these words is etymologically problematic, but cannot be definitively ruled out.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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kitten (plural kittens)

  2. A young cat, especially before sexual maturity (reached at about seven months).
    • 1752 January, The London Magazine, and Monthly Chronologer, page 243&244:
      It was supposed to have happened thus: the cat had young kittens, and frequently carried them mice, and other animals its prey, and among the rest a young rat: the kittens, not being hungry, played with it, and when the cat came to give suck to the kittens, the rat likewise sucked her.
    • 1844, The Kitten, the Religious Tract Society, page 1 & 2:
      To the sounds, however, I paid no attention at first as I was much interested in the subject upon which I was writing; but at length my som Richard burst into my study, exclaiming that the kitten had climbed up to the top of a young ash tree, and could not get down again.
    • 2011 December 14, Steven Morris, “Devon woman jailed for 168 days for killing kitten in microwave”, in Guardian‎[1]:
      Jailing her on Wednesday, magistrate Liz Clyne told Robins: "You have shown little remorse either for the death of the kitten or the trauma to your former friend Sarah Knutton." She was also banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
  3. A young rabbit, rat, hedgehog, squirrel, fox, beaver, badger, etc.
    • 1906, Joseph Henry Taylor, Beavers, Their Ways, and Other Sketches, page 49:
      The first move at beaver raising in North Dakota had its starting in the fall of 1874, when a kitten beaver was taken out of Mandan Lake by the writer and given to a little Indian girl who then lived with her guardians at Pretty Point near the present village of Sanger, Oliver county.
    • 2009, Kathryn Walker, See How Rabbits Grow, publ. by PowerKiDS press (The Rosen Publishing Group Inc.), page 10.
      Rabbit babies are called kittens or kits. The mother prepares a cosy nest for her kittens.
  4. A moth of the genus Furcula.
    • 1959, Odonata reprints: J. G. Needham collection, volume 3, page 657:
      Two of these formed cocoons in a manner I have not seen before. They were supplied when full-grown with plenty of rotten willow wood, which I have always found a most suitable material for insects using bark or old wood in forming cocoons such as the kittens, Apatele alni, etc., and most made the usual cycle of cocoons on it.
  5. (colloquial) A term of endearment, especially for a woman.
    • 1995, Duckman, "America the Beautiful" (season 2, episode 5):
      Speak only when spoken to, kitten.
    1. (colloquial, by extension) A girlfriend.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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kitten (third-person singular simple present kittens, present participle kittening, simple past and past participle kittened)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To give birth to kittens.
    • 2003, Cora Linn Daniels, C. M. Stevans, Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World:
      A cat about to kitten, must not be spoken of by its name, but called a witch. (Madagascar.)
    • 2016, Kerry Greenwood, Murder and Mendelssohn, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 319:
      'Princess the Lady Regina of Alphington is about to kitten. I must be there to support her.'

Translations

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Dutch

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from English kitten.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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kitten m (plural kittens, diminutive kittentje n)

  1. a young cat; kitten
    • 2015, Joubert Pignon, "Kittens", in Paul van der Steen (ed.), Negenenhalf leven. Nieuwe en klassieke kattenverhalen, Xander Uitgevers B.V. (publ.).
      Telkens wanneer we in een huis kwamen wonen, zei ik tegen mijn vriendin dat dit geen huis voor kittens was, maar dat we ooit een huis zouden hebben dat geschikt is voor kittens. Ik hoopte dat we nooit in een huis zouden wonen dat geschikt is voor kittens.
      Each time when we began living in a house, I told my girlfriend that this was not a house for kittens, but that we would have a house one day that is appropriate for kittens. I hoped that we would never live in a house that is appropriate for kittens.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From kit (“sealant”) +‎ -en.

Verb

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kitten

  1. (transitive) to apply sealant to
    • 1996, dr. A.M. Soeterboek & drs. L.F. Stapper, Het geneesmiddel en zijn toepassing, Bohn Stafleu van Loghum (publ., 9th ed.), page 21.
      Granulaten zijn poeders die tot kleine brokjes aan elkaar gekit zijn.
      Granulates are powders that have been adjoined to one another with sealant.
Conjugation
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Conjugation of kitten (weak)
infinitive kitten
past singular kitte
past participle gekit
infinitive kitten
gerund kitten n
present tense past tense
1st person singular kit kitte
2nd person sing. (jij) kit kitte
2nd person sing. (u) kit kitte
2nd person sing. (gij) kit kitte
3rd person singular kit kitte
plural kitten kitten
subjunctive sing.1 kitte kitte
subjunctive plur.1 kitten kitten
imperative sing. kit
imperative plur.1 kit
participles kittend gekit
1) Archaic.
Derived terms
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Etymology 3

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See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

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kitten

  1. plural of kit

German

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Etymology

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Kitt +‎ -en

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈkɪtn̩]
  • Hyphenation: kit‧ten
  • Audio:(file)

Verb

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kitten (weak, third-person singular present kittet, past tense kittete, past participle gekittet, auxiliary haben)

  1. to putty, to cement

Conjugation

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Conjugation of kitten (weak, auxiliary haben)
infinitive kitten
present participle kittend
past participle gekittet
auxiliary haben
indicative subjunctive
singular plural singular plural
present ich kitte wir kitten i ich kitte wir kitten
du kittest ihr kittet du kittest ihr kittet
er kittet sie kitten er kitte sie kitten
preterite ich kittete wir kitteten ii ich kittete1 wir kitteten1
du kittetest ihr kittetet du kittetest1 ihr kittetet1
er kittete sie kitteten er kittete1 sie kitteten1
imperative kitt (du)
kitte (du) 		kittet (ihr)

1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.

Composed forms of kitten (weak, auxiliary haben)
perfect
singular plural singular plural
indicative ich habe gekittet wir haben gekittet subjunctive ich habe gekittet wir haben gekittet
du hast gekittet ihr habt gekittet du habest gekittet ihr habet gekittet
er hat gekittet sie haben gekittet er habe gekittet sie haben gekittet
pluperfect
indicative ich hatte gekittet wir hatten gekittet subjunctive ich hätte gekittet wir hätten gekittet
du hattest gekittet ihr hattet gekittet du hättest gekittet ihr hättet gekittet
er hatte gekittet sie hatten gekittet er hätte gekittet sie hätten gekittet
future i
infinitive kitten werden subjunctive i ich werde kitten wir werden kitten
du werdest kitten ihr werdet kitten
er werde kitten sie werden kitten
indicative ich werde kitten wir werden kitten subjunctive ii ich würde kitten wir würden kitten
du wirst kitten ihr werdet kitten du würdest kitten ihr würdet kitten
er wird kitten sie werden kitten er würde kitten sie würden kitten
future ii
infinitive gekittet haben werden subjunctive i ich werde gekittet haben wir werden gekittet haben
du werdest gekittet haben ihr werdet gekittet haben
er werde gekittet haben sie werden gekittet haben
indicative ich werde gekittet haben wir werden gekittet haben subjunctive ii ich würde gekittet haben wir würden gekittet haben
du wirst gekittet haben ihr werdet gekittet haben du würdest gekittet haben ihr würdet gekittet haben
er wird gekittet haben sie werden gekittet haben er würde gekittet haben sie würden gekittet haben

Further reading

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  • “kitten” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • “kitten” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • “kitten” in Duden online
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