Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cat's eye

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.34 in modern English

Syllables
cat's -eye
IPA
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A retroreflective device placed on a road surface as a marking that can be seen even at night.

Countable

noun

A glass marble with elongated colourful inclusions running through its axis.

Countable

noun

A gemstone exhibiting chatoyancy.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Cymophane (translucent yellow chatoyant chrysoberyl).

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A sea snail, Lunella smaragda

New Zealand usage; Countable

noun

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cat, eye.; the eye of a cat.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

An allusion to the way a cat's eyes will appear to glow when illuminated in the dark. In mineralogy, a calque of French œil de chat.

Usage

Inflected Forms

cats' eyes (plural) cat's eyes (plural) cat's-eye (alternative) catseye (alternative)

Synonyms

cat-eye

Questions

What does cat's eye mean?
A retroreflective device placed on a road surface as a marking that can be seen even at night.
Where does cat's eye come from?
An allusion to the way a cat's eyes will appear to glow when illuminated in the dark. In mineralogy, a calque of French œil de chat.

How to pronounce cat's eye

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cat's eye”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cat's eye”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “cat's eye” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.