Select a letter for some words
Kabook
A clay ironstone found in Ceylon.
Kaftan
See .
Kakistocracy
Government by the worst men.
Kalendar
See .
Kaloyer
See .
Kampylite
A variety of mimetite or arseniate of lead in hexagonal prisms of a fine orange yellow.
Kamtschadales
An aboriginal tribe inhabiting the southern part of the Kamchatka peninsula; called also and .
Kan
See .
Kapellmeister
See .
Karstenite
Same as .
Katabolism
Destructive or downward metabolism; regressive metamorphism; same as (now the more common spelling); -- opposed to . See .
Kea
A large New Zealand parrot (), notorious for having acquired the habit of killing sheep; -- called also .
keel over
To drop down in a faint, or as if dead; to die.
Keels
Ninepins. See .
Keen
Sharp; having a fine edge or point; .
Keeping
A holding; restraint; custody; guard; charge; care; preservation.
Keffe-kil
See .
Keir
See .
Kennel
A house for a dog or for dogs, or for a pack of hounds.
Kenogenetic
Of or pertaining to kenogenesis; .
Kenyan
A native or inhabitant of Kenya.
kephalin
One of a group of phospholipids (nitrogenous phosphorized fatty substances), present in all living cells and particularly noticeable in nervous tissue. Same as , which see.
kepi
A military cap having a close-fitting band, a round flat top sloping toward the front, and a visor. As originally worn by the French in Algeria about 1830 it was tall and stiff with a straight visor. It is now lower, has a curved visor, and is frequently soft.
Keratoidea
Same as .
Keratophyte
A gorgonian coral having a horny axis.
Kerf
A notch, channel, or slit made in any material by cutting or sawing.
Kern
A part of the face of a type which projects beyond the body, or shank, such as in certain italic letters.
Kerosene
An oil used for illuminating purposes, formerly obtained from the distillation of mineral wax, bituminous shale, etc., and hence called also . It is now produced in immense quantities, chiefly by the distillation and purification of petroleum. It consists chiefly of several hydrocarbons of the methane series, having from 10 to 16 carbon atoms in each molecule, and having a higher boiling point (175 - 325 C) than gasoline or the petroleum ethers, and a lower boling point than the oils.
Keta
A small salmon () of inferior value, which in the autumn runs up all the larger rivers between San Francisco and Kamchatka.
Kettledrum
A drum made of thin copper in the form of a hemispherical kettle, with parchment stretched over the mouth of it.
Khaki
Of a dull brownish yellow, or drab color; -- applied to cloth, originally to a stout brownish cotton cloth, used in making uniforms in the Anglo-Indian army.
Khan
A king; a prince; a chief; a governor; -- so called among the Tartars, Turks, and Persians, and in countries now or formerly governed by them.
Khenna
See .
Khond
A Dravidian of a group of tribes of Orissa, India, a section of whom were formerly noted for their cruel human sacrifices to the earth goddess, murder of female infants, and marriage by capture.
kibbutz
an Israeli communal{2} form of agricultural settlement. Originally it was predominantly agricultural and practiced a very high level of sharing, including collective rearing of children. More recently (by 1998) industries have taken over a significant role in the Kibbutz economy, and the level of sharing has dropped significantly.
kibbutznik
a member of a kibbutz.
Kiby
Affected with kibes.
kick back
To pay (a kickback); .
Kickup
The water thrush or accentor.
Kiddier
A huckster; a cadger.
Kiddle
A kind of basketwork weir in a river, for catching fish.
Kiggelaria
A small genus of South African shrubs or small trees.
kiley
An Australian boomerang, having one side flat and the other convex.
Killigrew
The Cornish chough. See under .
Kiln
A large stove or oven; a furnace of brick or stone, or a heated chamber, for the purpose of hardening, burning, or drying anything;
Kilostere
A cubic measure containing 1000 cubic meters, and equivalent to 35,315 cubic feet.
Kilowatt hour
A unit of work or energy equal to that done by one kilowatt acting for one hour; -- approximately equal to 1.34 horse-power hour.
Kilt
from .
Kindliness
Natural inclination; natural course.
Kindly
Naturally; fitly.
Kindred
Relationship by birth or marriage; consanguinity; affinity; kin.
Kine
Cows.
Kinesiatrics
A mode of treating disease by appropriate muscular movements; -- also termed , , , and the .
King
A Chinese musical instrument, consisting of resonant stones or metal plates, arranged according to their tones in a frame of wood, and struck with a hammer.
Kingling
Same as , 1.
Kingly
In a kingly or kinglike manner.
Kino
The dark red dried juice of certain plants, used variously in tanning, in dyeing, and as an astringent in medicine.
Kismet
Destiny; fate.
kitbag
a knapsack (usually for a soldier).
Kithara
See .
Kitish
Like or relating to a kite.
Kiver
To cover.
Kjoekken moeddings
See .
Knab
To seize with the teeth; to gnaw.
Knacky
Having a knack; cunning; crafty; trickish.
Knappish
Snappish; peevish.
kneecap
A roundish, flattened, sesamoid bone in the tendon in front of the knee joint; the patella; the kneepan.
Knee-crooking
Obsequious; fawning; cringing.
Knife
To prune with the knife.
Knight
A young servant or follower; a military attendant.
Knitster
A woman who knits.
Knobbling fire
A bloomery fire. See .
Knobby
Full of, or covered with, knobs or hard protuberances.
Knockdown
Of force sufficient to fell or completely overthrow; .
knock off
to quit (working).
Knoll
A little round hill; a mound; a small elevation of earth; the top or crown of a hill.
Knowing
Knowledge; hence, experience.
Knurled
Full of knots; gnarled.
Knurry
Full of knots.
KO
To knock out; to deliver a blow that renders (the opponent) unconscious; -- used especially in boxing.
Kosmos
See .
Kotow
To perform the kotow. Now usually spelled .
Kowtow
To perform the kowtow. Same as
Krait
A very venomous snake of India (), allied to the cobra. Its upper parts are bluish or brownish black, often with narrow white streaks; the belly is whitish.
Krakowiak
A lively Polish dance. See .
Kreatic
See .
Kupfernickel
Copper-nickel; niccolite. See .
Kutch
The packet of vellum leaves in which the gold is first beaten into thin sheets.
Kwajalein
A battle of World War II (January 1944); American forces landed and captured a Japanese airbase.
Kymnel
See .
Kynrede
Kindred.