kitty

Kitty is commonly used as a nickname for Katherine or Catherine and as a given name in English-speaking countries. It is also a familiar term for a domestic cat or a young cat; in informal contexts it can refer to a kitten. In addition, “the kitty” can denote a pooled amount of money contributed by a group, such as in gambling or fundraising.

In culture and media, Hello Kitty, a fictional character created by Sanrio in 1974, is one of the most recognizable uses of the name in popular culture. In comics, Kitty Pryde is the superhero Shadowcat in Marvel’s X-Men. Real people named Kitty include Kitty Dukakis, former First Lady of Massachusetts; and Kitty Genovese, whose 1964 murder led to studies on the bystander effect.

In technology, Kitty is also the name of a cross-platform GPU-accelerated terminal emulator for Linux, macOS, and other Unix-like systems, noted for its performance and features.

The word’s usage and meaning thus vary by context, spanning personal names and pet references to social funds and software, reflecting its informal, affectionate tone.