I. ˈkat, usu -ad.+V noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English cat, catte, from Old English catt, catte; akin to Old Frisian katte, Old High German kazza, Old Norse köttr cat; all from a prehistoric North Germanic-West Germanic word probably borrowed from Late Latin cattus, catta, perhaps of Hamitic origin; akin to Berber kaddîska cat, Nubian kadīs
1.
a. : a long-domesticated carnivorous mammal that is usually regarded as a distinct species ( Felis catus syn. F. domestica ) though probably ultimately derived by selection from among the hybrid progeny of several small Old World wildcats (as the Kaffir cat and the European wildcat), that occurs in several varieties distinguished chiefly by length of coat, body form, and presence or absence of tail, and that makes a pet valuable in controlling rodents and other small vermin but tends to revert to a feral state if not housed and cared for — see abyssinian cat , angora cat , manx cat , persian cat , siamese cat
b. : a member of the family Felidae (as a lion, leopard, jaguar, or wildcat)
c. : an animal that in appearance or behavior resembles any member of the family Felidae — usually used with a qualifying term
bear cat
toddy cat
pole cat
native cat
d. : the fur or pelt of the domestic cat
2. : a malicious woman ; especially : one given to making catty remarks about other women
3. : a low movable defensive structure used in medieval warfare as a means of approaching fortifications
4.
a. : the tapered peg used in tipcat
b.
[by shortening]
: tipcat
5. : a strong tackle used to hoist an anchor to the cathead of a ship
6.
a. : a seagoing ship with a narrow stern, projecting quarters, and deep waist formerly used in England in the coal and timber trade
b. : an old-fashioned 3-masted Deal lugger
c.
[by shortening]
: catboat
d. : catamaran
7.
[by shortening]
: cat-o'-nine-tails
8.
[by shortening]
: catfish — usually used with a qualifying term
channel cat
blue cat
mud cat
9. : a double tripod that rests on three of its legs however it is set down and is usually used as a stand near or over an open fireplace
10. : one old cat
11. slang
a. : skat
b. : kitty III 2c
12. : the part of the first coat of plaster going between laths
13.
a. : big cat
b. : little cat
14. slang
a. : a player or a devotee of hot jazz : hepcat
b. : guy , person , character
some young Indian cat asked me to go drinking with him — Jack Kerouac
15. : the heraldic representation of a European wildcat or a domestic cat
II. verb
( catted ; catted ; catting ; cats )
transitive verb
1. : to bring (the anchor) up to a ship's cathead
2. : to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails
intransitive verb
1. Britain : vomit
2. : to search for a sexual mate — usually used in the phrase go catting ; usually considered vulgar
III.
variant of kat
IV. abbreviation
1. catalog
2. catalyst
3. cataplasm
4. catechism