Kitty Meaning
/ˈkɪti/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA young cat; a kitten.
nounAn adult cat; also (often childish), sometimes in the form Kitty: a pet name for a cat of any age.
Sentence Examples
My kitty was run over.
I want a Hello Kitty pencil board.
When the cat's away clean the kitty litter.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The little ____ meowed loudly until we gave it a bowl of milk.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
They all contributed some money to a ____ to pay for a gift for their coworker who is retiring today.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A pretty young Kitty, / She had that could Purr; / 'Tvvas gameſome and handſome, / And had a rare Furr; […]"
— a. 1708 (date written), [Henry Playford], “Puss in a Corner: A New Song, to a Pretty New Tune Made by a Man of Quality”, in Thomas d’Urfey, compiler, Songs Compleat, Pleasant and Divertive; […], volume II, London: […] W. Pearson, for J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1719, →OCLC, page 82:
"Grandma-cats don't very often care for their grand-kittens. But I know two little Maltese kittens that have the nicest grandma that ever any little kittens had. […] The kitties are named "Bill" and "May." They are good names. […] Of the kitties, you can't tell which is the prettier, however hard you try; and they are good kitties, as they ought to be, with a mamma and a grandma to take care of them."
— 1875 July, “The Kitties’ Grandma”, in The Dayspring, volume IV (New Series; Old Series volume XXVII), number 7, Boston, Mass.: Unitarian Sunday-School Society, →OCLC, page 107, column 1:
"Warm kitty, soft kitty, / Little ball of fur, / Sleepy kitty, happy kitty, / Purr! Purr! Purr!"
— 1937, Edith Newlin, “Warm Kitty”, in Laura Pendleton MacCarteney, compiler, Songs for the Nursery School: […], Cincinnati, Oh.: Willis Music, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Jun 2020, page 21:
"To a child, a cat may look like a moving toy, so it's important to explain how delicate and sensitive a cat's body is from the very start. […] Even how a child picks up and handles the cat can make the kitty begin to fear the very sight of the youngster."
— 2007, Pam Johnson-Bennett, “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?”, in Starting from Scratch: How to Correct Behavior Problems in Your Adult Cat, New York, N.Y.: Penguin Books, →ISBN, pages 271–272:
"Looking at Lynn's naked body one last time, Mia decided to try something else. She waited for Lynn to bend down to grab her underwear and then came up behind her and began licking her kitty with long, wet strokes."
— 2010 June, Anya Nicole, “A Fraud, a Phony, a Fake”, in Judgment Day, Deer Park, N.Y.: Urban Books, →ISBN, page 166:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The little ____ meowed loudly until we gave it a bowl of milk.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
They all contributed some money to a ____ to pay for a gift for their coworker who is retiring today.