cat

¹

[ kat ]

noun

1. a small domesticated carnivore, Felis domestica or F. catus, bred in a number of varieties.
2. any of several carnivores of the family Felidae, such as the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, etc.
3. Older Slang.
   1. a person, especially a man:

      I'll admit that I'm not the hippest cat in town but even I know that show.

   2. a devotee of jazz:

      That cat's got a great ear, but he can't sing or play himself.

4. a woman given to spiteful or malicious gossip.
5. a cat-o'-nine-tails.
6. Games.
   1. Chiefly British. the game of tipcat, or the tapering piece of wood used in the game.
   2. one old cat, two old cat, three old cat, four old cat.
7. a catboat.
8. a catamaran.
9. a catfish.
10. Obsolete. the fur of the domestic cat.
11. Nautical. a tackle used in hoisting an anchor to the cathead, a projecting timber or metal beam where the anchor is secured.
12. a double tripod having six legs but resting on only three no matter how it is set down, usually used before or over a fire.
13. Navy Informal. catapult ( def 2 ).
14. (in medieval warfare) a movable shelter for providing protection when approaching a fortification.

verb (used with object)

, cat·ted, cat·ting.

1. to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails.
2. Nautical. to hoist (an anchor) and secure to a cathead, a projecting timber or metal beam where the anchor is secured.

verb (used without object)

, cat·ted, cat·ting.

1. British Slang. to vomit.

verb phrase

1. Slang.
   1. to seek sexual activity indiscriminately:

      Many of these celebrities have catted around despite being married.

   2. to spend one's time aimlessly or idly:

      We're going out to the country to hunt, explore, and just cat around a bit.

Cat

²

[ kat ]

Trademark.

1. a Caterpillar tractor.

CAT

³

1. clear-air turbulence.
2. Medicine/Medical. computerized axial tomography.

cat.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. catalog; catalogue.
2. catechism.

cat

¹

/ kæt /

noun

1. Also calleddomestic cat a small domesticated feline mammal, Felis catus (or domesticus ), having thick soft fur and occurring in many breeds in which the colour of the fur varies greatly: kept as a pet or to catch rats and mice
2. Also calledbig cat any of the larger felines, such as a lion or tiger
3. any wild feline mammal of the genus Felis, such as the lynx or serval, resembling the domestic cat feline
4. old-fashioned.
   a woman who gossips maliciously
5. slang.
   a man; guy
6. nautical a heavy tackle for hoisting an anchor to the cathead
7. a short sharp-ended piece of wood used in the game of tipcat
8. short for catboat
9. informal.
   short for Caterpillar
10. short for cat-o'-nine-tails
11. a bag of cats informal.
    a bad-tempered person

    she's a real bag of cats this morning

12. fight like Kilkenny cats
    to fight until both parties are destroyed
13. let the cat out of the bag
    to disclose a secret, often by mistake
14. like a cat on a hot tin roof or like a cat on hot bricks
    in an uneasy or agitated state
15. like cat and dog
    quarrelling savagely
16. look like something the cat brought in
    to appear dishevelled or bedraggled
17. not a cat in hell's chance
    no chance at all
18. not have room to swing a cat
    to have very little space
19. play cat and mouse
    to play with a person or animal in a cruel or teasing way, esp before a final act of cruelty or unkindness
20. put the cat among the pigeons
    to introduce some violently disturbing new element
21. rain cats and dogs
    to rain very heavily

verb

1. tr to flog with a cat-o'-nine-tails
2. tr nautical to hoist (an anchor) to the cathead
3. intr a slang word for vomit

CAT

²

abbreviation for

1. computer-aided teaching
2. computer-assisted trading

cat

³

/ kæt /

noun

1. 1. short for catalytic converter
   2. ( as modifier )

      a cat car

adjective

1. short for catalytic

   a cat cracker

cat.

⁴

abbreviation for

1. catalogue
2. catamaran

cat

⁵

/ kæt /

noun

1. informal.
   short for catamaran

Derived Forms

• ˈcatˌlike, adjective
• ˈcattish, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cat¹

First recorded 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; akin to Late Latin cattus, catta (first recorded in the 4th century, presumably with the introduction of domestic cats); further origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of cat¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bell the cat, to attempt something formidable or dangerous:

   The question at the moment is who will bell the cat, since nobody on the board is willing to tell the CEO she's fired.

2. cat got your tongue?, (used to ask why someone is not speaking):

   You've been awfully quiet—cat got your tongue?

3. enough to make a cat laugh, very funny, outrageous, or absurd:

   Hearing these politicians talk about the lives of everyday people is enough to make a cat laugh.

4. 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.

5. look like something the cat dragged in, to look tired, unkempt, ugly, etc.:

   You look like something the cat dragged in—go have a shower and a nap.

6. look what the cat dragged in, Often Facetious. (used to acknowledge someone's arrival while implying that they look bad or are unwelcome):

   Darn it, he's here. Look what the cat dragged in!

7. the cat that ate / swallowed / got the canary, someone who is self-satisfied, proud, or pleased:

   She won the contest by a hair and walked around like the cat that ate the canary for the rest of the month.

8. curiosity killed the cat. curiosity ( def 5 ).
9. fight like cats and dogs. fight ( def 18 ).
10. rain cats and dogs. rain ( def 13 ).

More idioms and phrases containing cat

• alley cat
• bell the cat
• curiosity killed the cat
• fat cat
• grin like a Cheshire cat
• let the cat out of the bag
• like a cat on a hot brick
• look like something the cat dragged in
• look like the cat that ate the canary
• more than one way to skin a cat
• not enough room to swing a cat
• play cat and mouse
• rain cats and dogs
• when the cat's away

Example Sentences

More significant investments should also be made into remote sensing of CAT and improved forecasts.

From Seattle Times

He says the digitisation of operating theatre processes will allow hundreds of thousands of more operations per year, and that adopting recent technology will help doctors read MRI and CAT scans more accurately.

From BBC

CAT was penciled on the front in square letters.

From Literature

Late last year, Francis underwent a CAT scan that ruled out pneumonia, but the pope was still forced to call off a trip to the Gulf because of a bad bout of acute, infectious bronchitis.

From Seattle Times

Researchers used micro-CT scanning, similar to CAT scans humans use in medical facilities, to image the internal architecture of each vertebra and quantified various mineral structures found in the calcified cartilage.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• bobcat
• caracal
• cheetah
• cougar
• jaguar
• leopard
• lion
• lynx
• mountain lion
• ocelot
• panther
• puma
• tiger
• wildcat