kit-cat

noun

kit-cat

noun

Etymology So called because the size was adopted by Sir Godfrey Kneller for the portraits he painted of the members of London's 18th-century Kit-Cat Club, said to have been named after innkeeper Christopher Catt.

1

Art, Arts Historical A short portrait, measuring 28 or 29 by 36 inches, less than half-length, but including the hands.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.