catty
[ˈkʰæɾi] adjective, noun, proper noun
Forms cattier cattiest catties cattys cattee kati katti katty
- adjective (literally) Resembling or characteristic of a cat. “catty eyes”
- adjective (by extension, of a person or remark) With subtle hostility in an effort to hurt, annoy, or upset (particularly in interactions between women).
- noun A (unit of) weight used in China which is metricated in Mainland China as exactly 0.5 kg, and approximately 0.6 kg for other places.
- noun (slang) A catapult.
- proper noun (US, colloquial) The borough of Catasauqua in Pennsylvania.
Synonyms
catlike catly cattish feline bitchy malicious nasty snide spiteful cattie
Etymology
From cat + -y. Compare Dutch kattig, which also means “subtly hostile” and is formed the same way (kat + -ig); see also catfight.
From Malay kati, from Tamil கட்டி (kaṭṭi).
Diminutive + -y.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [Malay kati. See Caddy.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “catty”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details