noun
mitten
MIH-tuhn
noun
1
A hand covering with one section for the thumb and a single pouch for the other four fingers.
"She knitted a pair of mittens for the baby."
"His fingers were too cold to grip anything through the thick mittens."
2
A patch of fur on a cat or dog's paw that is a different colour from the rest of its coat.
"The kitten had white mittens on all four paws."
How to Use Mitten
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA winter glove that keeps the fingers together for warmth, unlike a regular glove.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "gloves," which have a separate section for each finger.
Easily confused with
gloves
Common pairings
a pair of mittens
woolly mittens
Word Forms
mittened past tense, mittens plural, mittens singular
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Etymology
From Middle English "myteyne," borrowed from Old French "mitaine," of uncertain origin — possibly linked to a word for "cat" (playfully comparing the shape to a cat's paw) or to a Germanic word meaning "middle/half."