When asked about the spelling difference between cat and kitten, the answer may not be as straightforward as expected. While the common assumption would be that cat is of Italic origin and kitten is of Germanic origin, the reality is quite different. The word cat comes from Old English catt, believed to stem from the Proto-Germanic root kattuz. On the other hand, kitten was borrowed from Old French chitoun, a diminutive of their word for “cat,” chat. Both chat and kattuz trace back to the Latin word cattus. The spelling variations can be attributed to cat being altered to resemble the original Latin form, while kitten may have been influenced by other English words beginning with the letter k. The origins of cattus remain unclear, with similar words appearing in various languages due to the widespread trading of these animals throughout history.
