kitten
Meanings
Plural: kittens
Noun
- young domestic cat
- A young cat, especially before sexual maturity (reached at about seven months).
- A young rabbit, rat, hedgehog, squirrel, fox, beaver, badger, etc.
- A moth of the genus Furcula.
- A term of endearment, especially for a woman.
- A term of endearment, especially for a woman.
- A girlfriend.
Verb
- have kittens
- "our cat kittened again this year"
- To give birth to kittens.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English kitoun, kytton, kyton, keton (“kitten”), of obscure origin. 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.
Scrabble Score: 10
kitten is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordkitten is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
kitten is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary