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
Words nearby cat
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).
Origin of cata-
< Greek
kata-, combining form of
katá down, through, against, according to, towards, during
Definition for cat (5 of 5)
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, adjectiveWord 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)
British Dictionary definitions for cat (3 of 6)
cat
3
/ (kæt) /
noun
- short for catalytic converter
- (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