Etymology From Middle English myteyne, from Old French mitaine (Modern French mitaine), of unclear origin; possibly from mite, miste (“playful name for cat”) + -aine. Alternatively, mitaine may be from Old High German mittamo (“half”), superlative of mitti (“midpoint”), from Proto-Germanic *midjô, *midją (“middle, center”), from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos (“between, in the middle, center”). Compare Catalan mitana, Medieval Latin mitta, mitana, and Occitan mitana.
1
A type of glove or garment that covers a hand with a separate sheath for the thumb, but not for other fingers, which are either enclosed in a single section or left uncovered.
2
The paw of a cat or dog that is of a different color from the main body.
3
Colloquial, Dated, As "the mitten" A romantic rejection; dismissal of a lover.
Etymology From Middle English myteyne, from Old French mitaine (Modern French mitaine), of unclear origin; possibly from mite, miste (“playful name for cat”) + -aine. Alternatively, mitaine may be from Old High German mittamo (“half”), superlative of mitti (“midpoint”), from Proto-Germanic *midjô, *midją (“middle, center”), from Proto-Indo-European *médʰyos (“between, in the middle, center”). Compare Catalan mitana, Medieval Latin mitta, mitana, and Occitan mitana.
1
To dress in mittens; to put a mitten on.
He mittened his hand and beat it violently for a minute before exposing it to the frost to strike a match.1911 August, Jack London, “[Smoke Bellew] Tale Three: The Stampede to Squaw Creek”, in Cosmopolitan, volume LI, number 3, New York, N.Y.: International Magazine Company, section II, page 361, column 1: