kitten
/ˈkɪtn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkɪtn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈki-tᵊn/ (ame, mw)
kitten — 名詞
- kittensingular
- kittensplural
1. a very young cat that is not yet fully grown and still depends on its mother for
小貓
出生不久的年輕貓咪
a very young cat that is not yet fully grown and still depends on its mother for milk and protection.
The children were delighted when their cat gave birth to three tiny kittens in a cardboard box.
孩子們看到家貓在紙箱裡生了三隻小貓，高興極了。
countable: three tiny kittens
Emma gently wrapped the frightened stray kitten in a soft towel and gave it some warm milk.
Emma 用柔軟的毛巾輕輕包住那隻受驚的流浪小貓，並餵牠喝了一些溫牛奶。
collocation: stray kitten
Our new kitten sleeps in a basket beside my bed and wakes me up by purring every morning.
我們新養的小貓睡在我床邊的籃子裡，每天早上都用咕嚕聲把我叫醒。
Amir adopted a playful black-and-white kitten from the local animal shelter last spring.
Amir 去年春天從當地的動物收容所領養了一隻活潑的黑白小貓。
- kitty
informal, affectionate term used mainly by children or when talking to a cat — 'kitten' is the neutral standard term
常見錯誤
kitten — 動詞
- kittenpresent simple I / you / we / they
- kittens3rd person singular
- kittening-ing form
- kittenedpast simple
1. to give birth to kittens — used only about female cats when they produce a litte
產仔；生小貓
母貓生產幼貓的過程
to give birth to kittens — used only about female cats when they produce a litter of young.
The neighbour's Persian cat is expected to kitten any day now, so they have set up a warm box.
鄰居家那隻波斯貓隨時都會生小貓，他們已經準備好一個溫暖的紙箱了。
about to + kitten: predicting the event
After their cat kittened last night, the family found homes for all five babies within a week.
他們的貓昨晚生下小貓後，全家人一週內就為五隻小貓都找到了新家。
past tense: kittened
文法句型
cat + kittens
cat + is about to + kitten
用法筆記
This verb is uncommon in everyday speech — most people say 'the cat had kittens' rather than 'the cat kittened'. It is used mainly by breeders, veterinarians, or in written descriptions of animal care.