A narrow step or foothold, possibly one in a precarious location or designed for careful climbing, resembling how cats navigate narrow spaces.
From 'cat' (referencing the animal's grace and balance) plus 'step' from Old English 'steppan'; a descriptive term that emerged from observing how cats navigate tight spaces.
Words like 'catstep' prove that animals are metaphors we live by—we use cat behavior constantly to describe movement ('catlike,' 'cat-burglar'), turning observation into language!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.