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Added 10 October 2026

catkin

noun

In Latin: iulus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). More about catkin at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A type of inflorescence, consisting of an axis with many unisexual apetalous flowers along its sides, as in the willow and poplar.

Origin

From Middle Dutch katteken (“catkin”, literally “little cat”). So named due to the resemblance of lengthier kinds to a kitten's tail, or, perhaps more probably, the fine fur found on some catkins (compare the pictures). Cognate with German Kätzchen, modern Dutch katje; compare French chaton (“kitten”; “catkin”). By surface analysis, cat + -kin.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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