kittenish en · ADJ
Etymology
Etymology tree English kitten Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English kittenish From kitten + -ish.
Meanings
-
Having the qualities or likeness of a kitten.
Sleeping, Myra appeared cuddly, kittenish. Girls, Gordon thought to himself. Girls can really drive you crazy.
2011, Jeff Dee, Gordon Ryder's Blues, page 165:She was kittenish in her manners, wearing generally an air of soft and fluffy innocence.
1889, Rudyard Kipling, “At the Pit's Mouth”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 48:
- Playful, sometimes with overtones of female sexuality.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most kittenish | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more kittenish | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |