*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of kitty

From kitt(en) + -y (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch katje (“kitty”). Etymology 1 sense 2 (“vulva and/or vagina”) is probably modelled after the use of pussy to refer to the body part, from the appearance of an unshaven

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 5 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 ↗
noun

A young cat; a kitten. · An adult cat; also (often childish), sometimes in the form Kitty: a pet name for a cat of any age. · Synonym of pussy (“vulva and/or vagina”).

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

From kitt(en) + -y (diminutive suffix). Compare Dutch katje (“kitty”). Etymology 1 sense 2 (“vulva and/or vagina”) is probably modelled after the use of pussy to refer to the body part, from the appearance of an unshaven vulva.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Word-formation componentkittenen
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "senseno",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kitten"
      },
      "expansion": "etymology 1 sense 1.1"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
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      "expansion": "diminutive"
    },
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      "name": "lg",
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    },
    {
      "name": "affix",
      "args": {
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        "2": "kitten",
        "3": "-y<id:diminutive>",
        "alt1": "kitt(en)",
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      },
      "expansion": "kitt(en) + -y (diminutive suffix)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "katje",
        "t": "kitty"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch katje (“kitty”)"
    },
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      "name": "senseno",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "pussy",
        "uc": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology 1 sense 2"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "kitten",
      "kitten#Noun"
    ],
    [
      "kitt(en)",
      "kitten#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ],
    [
      "katje",
      "katje#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "pussy",
      "pussy#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A young cat; a kitten.",
        "An adult cat; also (often childish), sometimes in the form Kitty: a pet name for a cat of any age.",
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      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Synonym of jack (“a small, typically white, ball used as the target ball in bowls”). · A pool of money to which card players contribute a portion of their winnings, which is used for paying shared expenses such as the cost of the premises or refreshments; (by extension) any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; also, any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use. · Synonym of pot (“a quantity of money available to be won in a round or a game”). · Synonym of widow (“an additional hand of playing cards dealt face-down in some card games, to be used by the highest bidder”).

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

Origin uncertain; etymology 2 sense 2 (relating to card games) is possibly from kit (“collection of items”) + -y (diminutive suffix).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Word-formation componentkiten · collection of items
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "expansion": "⁴"
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      "-y",
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    ]
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A jail, a prison; also, a lockup.

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

Origin uncertain, possibly a clipping of kid(cote) (“lockup, prison”) (UK, dialectal, obsolete) + -y (diminutive suffix).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "2": "kidcote",
        "alt": "kid(cote)",
        "t": "lockup, prison",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "clipping of kid(cote) (“lockup, prison”)"
    },
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      "name": "qualifier",
      "args": {
        "1": "UK",
        "2": "dialectal",
        "3": "obsolete"
      },
      "expansion": "(UK, dialectal, obsolete)"
    },
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      "args": {
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      },
      "expansion": "diminutive"
    },
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      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "suffix"
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      "expansion": "suffix"
    },
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        "pos1": "diminutive suffix"
      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "kid(cote)",
      "kidcote#English"
    ],
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      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

In full kitty-wren: synonym of wren (“any bird of the family Troglodytidae; specifically the Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)”).

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

From Kitty (“diminutive of the female given name Katherine”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "2": "species"
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      "expansion": "¹"
    }
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      "Eurasian wren"
    ],
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    ],
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      "dialectally",
      "dialectally"
    ],
    [
      "Kitty",
      "Kitty#English"
    ],
    [
      "Katherine",
      "Katherine"
    ]
  ],
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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗
noun

Synonym of kittiwake (“either of two small gulls in the genus Rissa of the family Laridae; specifically (Ireland, UK), the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)”).

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

Clipping of kitt(iwake) + -y (diminutive suffix).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "suffix"
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      "expansion": "suffix"
    },
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        "pos1": "diminutive suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "-y (diminutive suffix)"
    },
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      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "3"
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      "expansion": "³"
    }
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      "black-legged kittiwake"
    ],
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      "chick",
      "chick#Noun"
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      "dialectally"
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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-a2l0dHk