What does catercornered mean?
"Catercornered" means placed diagonally across from something else — occupying the corner of an intersection or space that lies obliquely opposite, rather than directly facing or next to it. A house described as catercornered to a park, for instance, sits at the far diagonal corner, requiring a trip across two streets rather than one. The word functions as both an adjective ("a catercornered building") and an adverb ("the sofa was set catercornered in the room"). It is chiefly American and informal-to-neutral in tone, appearing most often in descriptions of streetscapes, furniture placement, and everyday spatial arrangements. Its name carries a fossil of linguistic history: "cater" is an obsolete English dialect word for the number four, borrowed from French "quatre," and the term originally referred to the four corners of a square layout. Because the word has been repeatedly reshaped by mishearing, spellings abound — including the popular "kitty-corner" and "catty-corner," which have nothing to do with cats.
Situated diagonally opposite something else, at the opposing rather than an adjacent corner.
"Our hotel was catercornered from the train station, across the diagonal of the busy square."
Often used with "to" or "from" to specify the reference point.
In a diagonal direction or position; placed or moving aslant across a space.
"She angled her desk catercornered in the corner to catch the afternoon light."
"Kitty-corner" isn't about cats at all — it's what happens when Americans mishear "cater," an old English dialect word for "four."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of catercornered
"Catercornered" descends from the Middle English phrase "catre-cornered," combining "cater," an English dialectal borrowing of Old French "quatre" ("four"), with "cornered." The original sense referred to the arrangement of four things at the four corners of a square, later narrowing to mean diagonal placement between opposite corners. The "cater" element was progressively eroded by folk etymology, producing American variants such as "catty-corner" and "kitty-corner." The "quatre" root ultimately traces back to Latin "quattuor," making "quarter" and "quart" distant relatives.
Related word forms
How catercornered is actually used
Chiefly American; British speakers rarely use it and may find it puzzling. It is informal-to-neutral in register and appears mostly in speech and casual writing. Spelling varies widely — "cater-cornered," "catercorner," "catacorner," and the folk variants "catty-cornered" and "kitty-cornered" all circulate — which can make it look misspelled even when it isn't.
Easily confused with catercornered
"Kitty-corner" and "catty-corner" are informal American folk-etymology variants of the same word — "catercornered" preserves the original element "cater," meaning four, while the "kitty/catty" forms arose by mishearing it.