Idioms for cat

    bell the cat, to attempt something formidable or dangerous.
    let the cat out of the bag, to divulge a secret, especially inadvertently or carelessly: He let the cat out of the bag, and the surprise party wasn't a surprise after all.

Origin of cat

before 900; Middle English cat, catte, Old English catt (masculine), catte (feminine); cognate with Old Frisian, Middle Dutch katte, Old High German kazza, Old Norse kǫttr, Irish cat, Welsh cath (Slavic *kotŭ, Lithuanian katė̃ perhaps < Gmc), Late Latin cattus, catta (first attested in the 4th century, presumably with the introduction of domestic cats); ultimately origin obscure

Definition for cat (2 of 5)

Cat
[ kat ]
/ kæt /

Trademark.

a Caterpillar tractor.

Definition for cat (3 of 5)

CAT

clear-air turbulence.
Medicine/Medical. computerized axial tomography.
Compare CAT scanner.

Definition for cat (4 of 5)

cata-

a prefix meaning “down,” “against,” “back,” occurring originally in loanwords from Greek (cataclysm; catalog; catalepsy); on this model, used in the formation of other compound words (catagenesis; cataphyll).
Also especially before a vowel, cat-; cath-, kata-.

Origin of cata-

< Greek kata-, combining form of katá down, through, against, according to, towards, during

Definition for cat (5 of 5)

cat.

catalog; catalogue.

Example sentences from the Web for cat

British Dictionary definitions for cat (1 of 6)

cat 1
/ (kæt) /

noun

verb cats, catting or catted

Derived forms of cat

catlike, adjective cattish, adjective

Word Origin for cat

Old English catte, from Latin cattus; related to Old Norse köttr, Old High German kazza, Old French chat, Russian kot

British Dictionary definitions for cat (2 of 6)

cat 2
/ (kæt) /

noun

informal short for catamaran (def. 1)

British Dictionary definitions for cat (3 of 6)

cat 3
/ (kæt) /

noun

  1. short for catalytic converter
  2. (as modifier)a cat car

adjective

short for catalytic a cat cracker

British Dictionary definitions for cat (4 of 6)

CAT

abbreviation for

computer-aided teaching
computer-assisted trading

British Dictionary definitions for cat (5 of 6)

cat.

abbreviation for

catalogue
catamaran

British Dictionary definitions for cat (6 of 6)

cata-

kata-, before an aspirate cath- or before a vowel cat-


prefix

down; downwards; lower in position catadromous; cataphyll
indicating reversal, opposition, degeneration, etc cataplasia; catatonia

Word Origin for cata-

from Greek kata-, from kata. In compound words borrowed from Greek, kata- means: down ( catabolism), away, off ( catalectic), against ( category), according to ( catholic), and thoroughly ( catalogue)

Medical definitions for cat (1 of 2)

CAT

abbr.

computerized axial tomography

Medical definitions for cat (2 of 2)

cata-

pref.

Down:catabolism.
Reverse; backward; degenerative:cataplasia.

Idioms and Phrases with cat

cat