In the manner of a cat; with the stealth, grace, or quiet movement characteristic of felines.
Combining cat + -wise (an Old English suffix meaning 'in the manner of' or 'direction of'). The suffix appears in words like clockwise, lengthwise, and likewise.
The suffix '-wise' is incredibly productive in English—we keep inventing new '-wise' words like 'COVID-wise' or 'career-wise'—showing how speakers feel free to create adverbs on the fly using this flexible morpheme.
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