mitt
UK[mɪt]US[mɪt]
n
A type of glove that does not have separate parts for each finger, or has a separate part only for the thumb.
n
A large, thick glove worn for protection, especially in sports like baseball or boxing.
Etymology
The word 'mitt' is a clipped form of 'mitten', entering English in the 18th century. Its ancestor, the Middle English 'mitaine', was borrowed from Old French, where it referred to a kind of armored glove. The ultimate origin is obscure but may lie in a Vulgar Latin term 'medietana', derived from 'medius' (middle), suggesting a glove covering the mid-part of the hand. Over time, the term simplified in form and specialized in meaning, now primarily denoting a glove that groups the fingers together, distinct from a fully fingered glove, highlighting its functional design.
Analysis
The word 'mitt' is a simplex, a shortened form of 'mitten'. It is a loanword from Middle English 'mitaine', borrowed from Old French, which itself is of uncertain origin, possibly from a Medieval Latin word 'medietana' meaning "half-glove".
Examples
She lost one woolen mitt in the snow.
The catcher's mitt is specially padded to handle fast pitches.
He put on an oven mitt before taking the hot tray out.