a unit of weight, used esp in E Asia, traditionally equal to about one and a half pounds but formalized as 0.5 kg in mainland China, 0.6 kg in Taiwan and Thailand, and about 0.605 kg in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore (Mandarin) Chinese name: jin
Word Origin
C16: from Malay kati
Word Origin and History for catty
adj.
1886, "devious and spiteful," from cat (n.) + -y (2). Slightly earlier was cattish. Meaning "pertaining to cats" is from 1902. Related: Cattily; cattiness.
Slang definitions & phrases for catty
catty
adjective
Inclined to discredit others; malicious; spitefully gossipy: Karla and Susan were being catty about Dusty
[late 1800s+; but cat, ''spiteful woman,'' is attested from the 1760s]