Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The name given by foreigners to the Chinese kin or pound.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An East Indian Weight of 11/3 pounds.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A (unit of) weight used in China, generally standardized as half a kilogram.
  • adjective informal, of a person or remark With subtle hostility in an effort to hurt, annoy, or upset.
  • adjective informal Resembling or characteristic of a cat.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective marked by or arising from malice
  • noun any of various units of weight used in southeastern Asia (especially a Chinese measure equal to 500 grams)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Malay kati, from the Chinese (Mandarin: 'jīn').

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

cat +‎ -y

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Examples

  • The girls in this school, I thought, gave the word catty a new meaning.

    Melody V.C. Andrews 1996

  • The girls in this school, I thought, gave the word catty a new meaning.

    Melody V.C. Andrews 1996

  • The girls in this school, I thought, gave the word catty a new meaning.

    Melody V.C. Andrews 1996

  • The girls in this school, I thought, gave the word catty a new meaning.

    Melody V.C. Andrews 1996

  • Ros-Lehtinen, who attended a White House function Monday, used the word catty in reference to late-night tweet.

    NBC Miami - Top Stories 2009

  • "But it's just as well to tell Marie, so that in case Idina should do something -- one of those things women call 'catty' -- she'd be prepared."

    The Guests Of Hercules M. Leone Bracker 1901

  • They criticize aspects of the scientists 'behavior, which they basically call catty and unprofessional, but the science is sound.

    Badtux the Snarky Penguin 2010

  • Nikki Haley Wants To Drug Test Applicants For Unemployment Benefits Nikki Haley-you're being 'catty' - Was There a Case for War?

    The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com The Huffington Post News Editors 2011

  • Best known as the catty assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, Blunt's other royal roles include Princess Isolda andand Catherine Howard in the TV dramas Boudica and Henry VIII.

    BBC News - Home 2010

  • In the ad the announcer refers to Frank as "catty," Boxer as "arrogant," and Pelosi as "in charge."

    Ad of the day: Angle goes after Obama ahead of campaign visit Emi Kolawole 2010

Comments

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  • In China and southeast Asia, a weight equal to about 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) avoirdupois.

    March 28, 2007