English
Etymology
cater from French 'quatre', four. + corner - Four cornered.
Adjective
catercorner
- Of or pertaining to something at a diagonal to another; of four corners, those diagonal to another.
#:The Empire State Building and the old Altman's Deparment store are catercorner, at Fifth Avenue and East 34th Street, with the ESB at the southwest, and Altman's at the northeast.
Adverb
catercorner
- Diagonally across from.
#:Altman's is sited catercorner to the ESB.
Alternative forms
'folk etymology,' the ordinary users of the term cater-corner thought they detected an analogy to the ordinary domestic feline. Hence cater soon became 'catty' and eventually 'kitty.'
catty-corner, cattycorner, katty-corner
kitty-corner, kittycorner
See also
cattywampus, catawampus, catty wampus
zh:catercorner
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