cater-corner

Etymology
Presumably a clipped form of, from , q.v., although is attested earlier (1838).

Adjective

 * 1)  Of or pertaining to something at a diagonal to another; of four corners, those diagonal to another.
 * The Empire State Building and the old Altman's Department store are catercorner, at Fifth Avenue and East 34th Street, with the ESB at the southwest, and Altman's at the northeast.
 * 1)  Uneven, not square, as mislaid stones or people with a limping gait.
 * 1)  Uneven, not square, as mislaid stones or people with a limping gait.

Adverb

 * 1)  Diagonally across from.
 * Altman's is sited catercorner to the ESB.

Translations

 * Danish: skråt overfor
 * Finnish: kulmittain vastapäätä
 * German: schräg gegenüber
 * Greek: ,
 * Japanese:
 * Russian: ,
 * Spanish: en contraesquina

Derived terms
Various corruptions exist, replacing unfamiliar cater with words related to, , , , etc. An almost identical process occurred in Germanic, with many place names have Kat or similar components, which are not plausible due to relationships with cats (German ), but rather are ascribed as due to being crooked, in a corner, or otherwise curved.