Meanings
kitty1
plural kitties · alternative kittie · alternative kbity · alternative kibty · alternative kity
- informalA young cat; a kitten.
He said there was a beast with fangs in the alley, but it turned out to be a cute little kitty.
4 more examples
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 82Grandma-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 1Warm 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 21To 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 - euphemisticslangSynonym of pussy (“vulva and/or vagina”).
The way Tariq was licking her kitty had her clutching the sheets.
2017, CoCo Amoure [pseudonym], Falling For A Young Boss (Promise Me Forever; 2), [Atlanta, Ga.]: Sullivan Group Publishing, →ISBN2 more examples
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 166Evan's tongue was magic. She'd heard most men didn't have the skills to make a girl lose her mind by licking her kitty. But Evan …
2019 November 18, Shanté Funches, “Mya and Evan”, in Web of Desire, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBNSynonyms: pussy
kitty2
plural kitties
- especiallyslangcard gamesA 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.
Your business is busted up, your thousand dollars is gone into the kitty of this corrupt country on that last bluff you made, […]
1909 April, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “The Fourth in Salvador”, in Roads of Destiny, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, →OCLC, pages 213–2141 more example
They told me you always had to come back to the band with your hand open so they could see what tip you got and you put that in the kitty.
1995 September 8 (date interviewed), Peter Vacher, quoting Betty Hall Jones, “Betty Hall Jones: Piano, Organ, and Vocals”, in Swingin’ on Central Avenue: African American Jazz in Los Angeles, Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, published 2015, →ISBN, page 99
kitty3
plural kitties
- Northern EnglandslangA jail, a prison; also, a lockup.
Besides we had a nice tollbooth, / To pull'd down was a pity, / And in its stead we've got—forsooth— / A vile pernicious kitty. / […] / Like convicts in a condemn'd cell, / They're fed on bread and water; / 'Midst winter's cold and putrid smell, / Thus tort'ring human nature.
1824, Robert Gilchrist, “The Retrospect”, in A Collection of Original Local Songs. […], 2nd edition, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland: […] [F]or the author, by W. A. Mitchell, […], →OCLC, page 28
kitty4
plural kitties
- UKdialectalIn full kitty-wren: synonym of wren (“any bird of the family Troglodytidae; specifically the Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)”).
[T]he male wrens (Troglodytes) of North America, build "cock-nests," to roost in, like the males of our distinct Kitty-wrens,—a habit wholly unlike that of any other known bird.
[1859 November 24, Charles Darwin, “Instinct”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 243
kitty5
plural kitties
- UKarchaicdialectalSynonym of kittiwake (“either of two small gulls in the genus Rissa of the family Laridae; specifically (Ireland, UK), the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)”).
1 more example
In the parish of Gaurie three curiosities upon the coast are exhibited to travellers: 1st, A perpendicular rock, of very great extent, full of shelves, and possessed by thousands of birds called kittywakes. […] Some people are fond of eating the young kitties; but the shooting of them is a favourite diversion every year.
1806, Ro[bert] Forsyth, “Banffshire”, in The Beauties of Scotland: […], volume IV, Edinburgh: […] [John Brown] for Arch[ibald] Constable and Co. and John Brown, […], →OCLC, page 460Synonyms: kittiwake
Kitty6
- A diminutive of the female given name Katherine or related names.
Kitty7
- A generic given name for a cat.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn adult cat; also (often childish), sometimes in the form Kitty: a pet name for a cat of any age.
nounSynonym of pussy (“vulva and/or vagina”).
nounSynonym of jack (“a small, typically white, ball used as the target ball in bowls”).
nounSynonym of pot (“a quantity of money available to be won in a round or a game”).
nounSynonym of widow (“an additional hand of playing cards dealt face-down in some card games, to be used by the highest bidder”).
nounSynonym of kittiwake (“either of two small gulls in the genus Rissa of the family Laridae; specifically (Ireland, UK), the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla)”).
More synonyms by meaning
nouninformal terms referring to a domestic cat
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
kitty · noun
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.
Full word history & related roots →kitty · noun
Origin uncertain; etymology 2 sense 2 (relating to card games) is possibly from kit (“collection of items”) + -y (diminutive suffix).
Full word history & related roots →kitty · noun
Origin uncertain, possibly a clipping of kid(cote) (“lockup, prison”) (UK, dialectal, obsolete) + -y (diminutive suffix).
Full word history & related roots →kitty · noun
From Kitty (“diminutive of the female given name Katherine”).
Full word history & related roots →Kitty · proper noun
Clipping of Katherine and related names + -y (diminutive suffix).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic هُرَيْرَة
- هُرَيْرَة (hurayra)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Bulgarian котенце, банка
- котенце (kotence)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- банка (banka)pool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
Catalan mix
- mix(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Chinese Cantonese 貓仔 /猫仔
- 貓仔 /猫仔 (maau¹ zai²)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Chinese Mandarin 貓咪 /猫咪
- 貓咪 /猫咪 (māomī)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Danish kattekilling, killing
- kattekilling(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- killing(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Dutch katje, kattenjong
- katje(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- kattenjong(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Esperanto kaĉjo, kanjo
- kaĉjo(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- kanjo(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- kateto(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- katido(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- katetopet name for a cat of any age
Estonian kiisu
- kiisu(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Finnish kisu, kisu
- kisu(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- kisupet name for a cat of any age
- mirrisynonym of pussy (vulva and/or vagina) — see also pussy
- kassapool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
French chaton, minet
- chaton(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- minet(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- mimipet name for a cat of any age
- cagnottepool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
German Kätzchen, Mieze
- Kätzchen(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- Mieze(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- Spielkassepool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
Greek ψιψίνα, κοινό ταμείο
- ψιψίνα (psipsína)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- κοινό ταμείο (koinó tameío)pool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
Hebrew גּוּרַת חֲתוּלִים, גּוּר חֲתוּלִים
- גּוּרַת חֲתוּלִים (gurát khatulím)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- גּוּר חֲתוּלִים (gúr khatulím)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- חֲתַלְתּוּל (khataltúl)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- חֲתַלְתּוּלָה (khataltulá)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Hungarian cica, cica
- cica(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- cicapet name for a cat of any age
Irish leac
- leacpool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
Italian gattino, micetto
- gattino(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- micetto(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- micino(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- micio(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- miciopet name for a cat of any age
Japanese 仔猫, 子猫
- 仔猫(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- 子猫 (koneko)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- 小猫(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- 子ネコ (koneko)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- ネコちゃん (neko-chan)pet name for a cat of any age
- ニャンコ (nyanko)pet name for a cat of any age
Korean 고양이, 나비
- 고양이 (goyang'i)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- 나비 (nabi)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- 냐옹 (nyaong)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Norwegian kattunge
- kattunge(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Persian پیشی
- پیشی (piši)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
Polish kicia, kotek
- kicia(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- kotek(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- kiciuśpet name for a cat of any age
- kiciapet name for a cat of any age
- kotekpet name for a cat of any age
Portuguese gatinho, vaquinha
- gatinho(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- vaquinhapool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
Russian ки́са, ки́ска
- ки́са (kísa)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- ки́ска (kíska)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- ко́шечка (kóšečka)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- ко́шка (kóška)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- котёнок (kotjónok)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- ки́са (kísa)pet name for a cat of any age
- ки́ска (kíska)pet name for a cat of any age
- ко́шечка (kóšečka)pet name for a cat of any age
- ко́тик (kótik)pet name for a cat of any age
Spanish gatito, minino
- gatito(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- minino(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- gatico(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- michi(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- botepool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
- pozopool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
- vaquitapool of money to which card players contribute, which is used for paying shared expenses; any pool of money to which people contribute for shared expenses or other joint purposes; any fund of liquid assets set aside for future use
Swedish kisse, kisse
- kisse(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- kissepet name for a cat of any age
- missepet name for a cat of any age
Thai แมวเหมียว, เจ้าเหมียว
- แมวเหมียวpet name for a cat of any age
- เจ้าเหมียวpet name for a cat of any age
Turkish pisi
- pisipet name for a cat of any age
Ukrainian кошеня́, кі́тка
- кошеня́ (košenjá)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- кі́тка (kítka)pet name for a cat of any age
- кото́к (kotók)pet name for a cat of any age
- ко́тик (kótyk)pet name for a cat of any age
- ки́ця (kýcja)pet name for a cat of any age
- ки́цька (kýcʹka)pet name for a cat of any age
Yiddish קעצעלע, קעצל
- קעצעלע (ketsele)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- קעצל (ketsl)(informal) young cat — see also kitten
- קעצעלע (ketsele)pet name for a cat of any age
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with kitty
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
kitty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kitty
“kitty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kitty. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kitty,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kitty.
Source: kitty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.