Soft, furry flower clusters that hang from trees like birches and willows, especially the male flowers.
From Dutch katteken, meaning 'little cat,' because the fuzzy flower clusters resemble a kitten's tail. The word entered English in the 1600s.
Catkins are nature's own little cat tails—so perfectly named that you can imagine early Dutch botanists seeing pussy willows for the first time and thinking they looked exactly like tiny kittens! This is why cat and kitten appear in so many plant names.
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