*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Kitty

Clipping of Katherine and related names + -y (diminutive suffix).

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A diminutive of the female given name Katherine or related names.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of Katherine and related names + -y (diminutive suffix).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Katherine"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of Katherine"
    },
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "",
        "3": "y<id:diminutive><pos:diminutive suffix>"
      },
      "expansion": "+ -y (diminutive suffix)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Katherine",
      "Katherine#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A diminutive of the female given name Katherine or related names."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "37f3e569a37e5a4d4109880734e73e982c871e7dcbdbfe00132706da0fb5b018",
      "rawRecordSha256": "72976662adeecebe5434e799591e2cbffcbc37a3d7101e975a49dd39338ed1ab",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328186
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A generic given name for a cat.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From kitty.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "kitty",
      "kitty#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A generic given name for a cat."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "f226f646ed4250b4cf3f4681b93e49df148a085bebadfa05b4219d93ff6cb80b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "495b69d3e2aff8c97ea5551efccd0c4560fb22dfcd1edec6556c1e31cd4d75f8",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328187
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Kitty →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-S2l0dHk