Kitten

Kitten

Noun / Verb · /ˈkɪt.ən/

Definition

(Noun) a young cat; the young of certain other animals; (Verb) (of a cat) to give birth to kittens; (Idiom) to have kittens — to be extremely anxious or upset.

Origin

From Middle English kitoun, from Old North French caton, a diminutive of cat (a cat), from Latin cattus. The diminutive suffix -en/-in produces the sense of 'small cat'. Used in English from the late 14th century.