Kingfisher - Kitchenmaid

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Kingfisher (kĭngfĭshẽr), n. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of birds constituting the family Alcedinidæ. Most of them feed upon fishes which they capture by diving and seizing them with the beak; others feed only upon reptiles, insects, etc. About one hundred and fifty species are known. They are found in nearly all parts of the world, but are particularly abundant in the East Indies.
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☞ The belted king-fisher of the United States (Ceryle alcyon) feeds upon fishes. It is slate-blue above, with a white belly and breast, and a broad white ring around the neck. A dark band crosses the breast. The common European species (Alcedo ispida), which is much smaller and brighter colored, is also a fisher. See . The wood kingfishers (Halcyones), which inhabit forests, especially in Africa, feed largely upon insects, but also eat reptiles, snails, and small Crustacea, as well as fishes. The giant kingfisher of Australia feeds largely upon lizards and insects. See Laughing jackass, under .
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Kinghood (?), n. The state of being a king; the attributes of a king; kingship. Gower.
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Kingless, a. Having no king. F. Lieber.
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Kinglet (?), n. 1. A little king; a weak or insignificant king. Carlyle.
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2. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of small singing birds of the genus Regulus and family Sylviidæ.
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☞ The golden-crowned kinglet (Regulus satrapa), and the rubycrowned kinglet (Regulus calendula), are the most common American species. The common English kinglet (Regulus cristatus) is also called golden-crested wren, moonie, and marigold finch. The kinglets are often popularly called wrens, both in America and England.

Kinglihood (?), n. King-liness. Tennyson.
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Kingliness, n. The state or quality of being kingly.
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Kingling (?), n. Same as , 1. Churchill.
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Kingly (?), a. [Compar. Kinglier (?); superl. Kingliest.] Belonging to, suitable to, or becoming, a king; characteristic of, or resembling, a king; directed or administered by a king; monarchical; royal; sovereign; regal; august; noble; grand. “Kingly magnificence.” Sir P. Sidney. “A kingly government.” Swift. “The kingly couch.” Shak.
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The kingliest kings are crowned with thorn. G. Massey.
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Leave kingly backs to cope with kingly cares. Cowper.

Syn. -- Regal; royal; monarchical; imperial; august; sovereign; noble; splendid. -- , . Kingly is Anglo-Saxon, and refers especially to the character of a king; regal is Latin, and now relates more to his office. The former is chiefly used of dispositions, feelings, and purposes which are kinglike; as, kingly sentiments; kingly condescension; “ a kingly heart for enterprises.” Sir P. Sidney. The latter is oftener applied to external state, pomp, etc.; as, regal state, regal title, etc. This distinction is not observed by our early writers, but is gaining ground.
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Kingly, adv. In a kingly or kinglike manner. Shak.
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Low bowed the rest; he, kingly, did but nod. Pore.
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☞ Although this citation, one from Paradise Lost, and one from Shakespeare's ll4th Sonnet are given by lexicographers as examples of adverbial use, it is by no means clear that the word is not an adjective in each instance.
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King-post (?), n. (Carp.) A member of a common form of truss, as a roof truss. It is strictly a tie, intended to prevent the sagging of the tiebeam in the middle. If there are struts, supporting the main rafters, they often bear upon the foot of the king-post. Called also crown-post.
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King's Bench (?) n. (Law) Formerly, the highest court of common law in England; -- so called because the king used to sit there in person. It consisted of a chief justice and four puisne, or junior, justices. During the reign of a queen it was called the Queen's Bench. Its jurisdiction was transferred by the judicature acts of 1873 and 1875 to the high court of justice created by that legislation.
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Kingship (?), n. The state, office, or dignity of a king; royalty. Landor.

king-size king-sized adj. 1. extra large; as, a king-size bed. [wns=1]
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☞ A king-size bed is the largest size generally sold commercially; it is larger than a queen-size, which in turn is larger than a full-size (or double) bed, and that in turn is larger than a twin-size (or single) bed. The mattress for a king-size bed is typically about 76 inches wide and 80 inches long.
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2. Of or pertaining to a king-size bed; suitable for a king-size bed; as, a king-size bedcover.
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{ Kingston (?), Kingstone (?), } n. (Zoöl.) The black angel fish. See Angel fish, under .
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Kingston metal (?) n. An alloy of tin, copper, and mercury, sometimes used for the bearings and packings of machinery. McElrath.
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Kingston valve (?) n. (Marine Steam Engin.) A conical valve, opening outward, to close the mouth of a pipe which passes through the side of a vessel below the water line.
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Kingtruss (?) n. (Carp.) A truss, framed with a king-post; -- used in roofs, bridges, etc.
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Kinic (?), a. [Cf. F. kinique.] (Chem.) See .
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Kink (?), n. [D. kink a bend or turn, or Sw. kink.]
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1. A twist or loop in a rope or thread, caused by a spontaneous doubling or winding upon itself; a close loop or curl; a doubling in a cord.
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2. An unreasonable notion; a crotchet; a whim; a caprice. [Colloq.] Cozzens.
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Kink (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Kinked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Kinking.] To wind into a kink; to knot or twist spontaneously upon itself, as a rope or thread.
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Kink, n. [Cf. , .] A fit of coughing; also, a convulsive fit of laughter. [Scot.]
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Kinkajou (?), n. [F. kinkajou, quincajou, from the native American name.] (Zoöl.) A nocturnal carnivorous mammal (Cercoleptes caudivolvulus) of South America, about as large as a full-grown cat. It has a prehensile tail and lives in trees. It is the only representative of a distinct family (Cercoleptidæ) allied to the raccoons. Called also potto, and honey bear.
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Kinkhaust (?), n. [Prov. E. kink to gasp (cf. ) + haust a cough (akin to E. wheeze).] Whooping cough. [Obs.or Prov. Eng.]
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Kinkle (?), n. Same as 3d .
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Kinky (?), a. 1. Full of kinks; liable to kink or curl; as, kinky hair.
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2. Queer; eccentric; unconventional; crotchety. [Colloq. U.S.]
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Kinnikinic (?), n. [Indian, literally, a mixture.] Prepared leaves or bark of certain plants; -- used by the Indians of the Northwest for smoking, either mixed with tobacco or as a substitute for it. Also, a plant so used, as the osier cornel (Cornus stolonijra), and the bearberry (Arctostaphylus Uva-ursi). [Spelled also kinnickinnick and killikinick.]
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Kinit (?), n. [Gr. kinei^n to move.] (Physics) A unit of force equal to the force which, acting for one second, will give a pound a velocity of one foot per second; -- proposed by J. D. Everett, an English physicist.
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Kino (?), n. The dark red dried juice of certain plants, used variously in tanning, in dyeing, and as an astringent in medicine.
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☞ The chief supply is from an East Indian leguminous tree, the Pterocarpus Marsupium. Other sources are the African Pterocarpus erinaceus, the tropical American sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera), and several Australian Eucalypti. See Botany bay kino, under , Gum butea, under , and .
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Kinology (?), n. [Gr. kinei^n to move + -logy.] That branch of physics which treats of the laws of motion, or of moving bodies.
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Kinone (?), n. (Chem.) See .
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Kinoyl (?), n. (Chem.) [Obs.] See .
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Kinrede (?), n. Kindred. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Kinsfolk (?), n. Relatives; kindred; kin; kinfolk; persons of the same family or closely related families.
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They sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. Luke ii. 44.
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Kinshasa prop. n. the capital city of Zaire, formerly named Leopoldville.
Syn. -- Leopoldville.
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Kinship (?), n. Family relationship.
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Kinsman (kĭnzm�n), n.; pl. Kinsmen (kĭnzm�n). A man of the same race or family; one related by blood.
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Kinsmanship, n. Kinship. Thackeray.
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Kinswoman (kĭnzw�m�n), n.; pl. Kinswomen (kĭnzwĭmĕn). A female relative. Shak.
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Kintlidge (?), n. (Naut.) See .
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Kiosk (?), n. [Turk. kiushk, kiöshk, Per. k�shk.] A Turkish open summer house or pavilion, supported by pillars.

2. A light ornamental structure used as a news stand, band stand, etc.
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3. A small roofed structure, typically located on a sidewalk and sometimes in a parking lot, with one or more open sides, used to vend merchandise, such as newspapers or beverages, or services, such as key duplication or film developing. (MW10 s. 2)
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Kioways (?), n. pl.; sing. Kioway (�). (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians distantly related to the Shoshones. They formerly inhabited the region about the head waters of the North Platte.
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Kip (?), n. The hide of a young or small beef creature, or leather made from it; kipskin.
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Coloq. Kip leather. See .
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Kip (?), n. [Cf. G. kippe.] 1. A sharp-pointed hill; a projecting point, as on a hill. [Scot.]
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2. (Gymnastics) A method or feat of raising the body when hanging or swinging by the arms, as for the purpose of mounting upon the horizontal bar. The legs are swung forward and upward by bending the hips, then suddenly down again, which gives the upward impulse to the body.
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Kipe (?), n. [Cf. OE. kipen to catch, Icel. kippa to pull, snatch. Cf. .] An osier basket used for catching fish. [Prov. Eng.]
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Kipling prop. n. Rudyard Kipling, English author (1865-1936). He was born at Bombay, India in 1865, the son of John Lockwood Kipling, who was formerly head of the Lahore School of Industrial Art. He was educated in England and returned to India in 1880 as editor of the “Lahore Civil and Military Gazette.” He returned to England about 1889, and lived several years in the United States. While in India he published stories, sketches, and poems descriptive of India and Anglo-Indian military and civil life: “ Departmental Ditties, etc.”, “Plain Tales from the Hills”, “Mine Own People”, “Soldiers Three”, “Barrack-room Ballads, etc.”, and others. After leaving India he published “The Light That Failed,” “Naulahka” (with Balestier), “Many Inventions,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Second Jungle Book,” “The Seven Seas,” “Captains Courageous,” “The White Man's Burden,” “Kim,” “The Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories,” and others.
Syn. -- Rudyard Kipling.
[WordNet 1.5 + Century Dict. 1906]

Kiplingesque prop. a. Of, pertaining to, or in the style of Rudyard Kipling.
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Kipper (?), n. [D. kippen to hatch, snatch, seize. Cf. .] 1. (Zoöl.) A salmon after spawning.
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2. A salmon split open, salted, and dried or smoked; -- so called because salmon after spawning were usually so cured, not being good when fresh. [Scot.]
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Coloq. Kipper time , the season in which fishing for salmon is forbidden. [Eng. & Scot.]
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Kipper, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Kippered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Kippering.] To cure, by splitting, salting, and smoking. “Kippered salmon.” Dickens.
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Kipper, a. Amorous; also, lively; light-footed; nimble; gay; sprightly. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
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Kippernut (?), n. (Bot.) A name given to earthnuts of several kinds.
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Kipskin (?), n. [Kip + skin.] Leather prepared from the skin of young or small cattle, intermediate in grade between calfskin and cowhide.
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Kirghizia n. A country in Central Asia, formerly an Asian Soviet. It borders on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, and Tajikistan.
Syn. -- Kirghiz, Kyrgyzstan, Kirghizstan.
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Kirk (kẽrk), n. [Scot.; cf. Icel. kirkja, of Greek origin. See .] A church or the church, in the various senses of the word; esp., the Church of Scotland as distinguished from other reformed churches, or from the Roman Catholic Church. [Scot.] Jamieson.
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Kirked (?), a. [Etymol. uncertain.] Turned upward; bent. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
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Kirkman (?), n.; pl. Kirkmen (�).
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1. A clergyman or officer in a kirk. [Scot.]
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2. A member of the Church of Scotland, as distinguished from a member of another communion. [Scot.]
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Kirkyard (?), n. A churchyard. [Scot.]
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Kirmess (?), n. [D. kermis; cf. G. kirmes; prop., church mass. See , and a religious service.] In Europe, particularly in Belgium and Holland, and outdoor festival and fair; in the United States, generally an indoor entertainment and fair combined.
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Kirschwasser (?), n. [G., fr. kirsche cherry + wasser water.] An alcoholic liquor, obtained by distilling the fermented juice of the small black cherry.
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Kirsome, a. [Corrupted from chrisom.] Christian; christened. [Obs.]
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I am a true kirsome woman. Beau. & Fl.
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Kirtle (?), n. [OE. kirtel, curtel, AS. cyrtel; skin to Icel. kyrtill, Sw. kjortel, Dan. kiortel, kiole.] A garment varying in form and use at different times, and worn both by men and women.
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Wearing her Norman car, and her kirtle of blue. Longfellow.
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☞ The term is still retained in the provinces, in the sense of “an outer petticoat.” Halliwell.
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Kirtled (?), a. Wearing a kirtle. Byron.
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Kirumbo (?), n. (Zoöl.) A bird of Madagascar (Leptosomus discolor), the only living type of a family allied to the rollers. It has a pair of loral plumes. The male is glossy green above, with metallic reflections; the female is spotted with brown and black.
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Kish (?), n. [Cf. G. kies gravel, pyrites.] (Min.) A workman's name for the graphite which forms incidentally in iron smelting.
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Kislev (kĭslŭf; kĭslŭv; kēslĕv), n. [Heb.] the third month of the Jewish civil year; the ninth month of the ecclesiastical year in the Jewish calendar, occupying a part of November and a part of December. [Also spelled Chislev.]
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Kismet (?), n. [Per. qismat.] Destiny; fate. [Written also kismat.] [Oriental]
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Kiss (kĭs), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Kissed (kĭst);p. pr. & vb. n. Kissing.] [OE. kissen, cussen, AS. cyssan, fr. coss a kiss; of uncertain origin; akin to D. kus, G. kuss, Icel. koss.] 1. To salute with the lips, as a mark of affection, reverence, submission, forgiveness, etc.
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He . . . kissed her lips with such a clamorous smack,
That at the parting all the church echoed. Shak.
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2. To touch gently, as if fondly or caressingly.
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When the sweet wind did gently kiss the trees. Shak.
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Kiss, v. i. 1. To make or give salutation with the lips in token of love, respect, etc.; as, kiss and make friends.
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2. To meet; to come in contact; to touch fondly.
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Like fire and powder,
Which as they kiss consume. Shak.
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Rose, rose and clematis,
Trail and twine and clasp and kiss. Tennyson.
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Coloq. Kissing comfit , a perfumed sugarplum to sweeten the breath. [Obs or Prov. End.] Shak.
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Kiss, n. [OE. kiss, derived under the influence of the verb from the older form coss, AS. coss. See , v.]
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1. A salutation with the lips, as a token of affection, respect, etc.; as, a parting kiss; a kiss of reconciliation.
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Last with a kiss, she took a long farewell. Dryden.
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Dear as remembered kisses after death. Tennyson.
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2. A small piece of confectionery.
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Kisser (?), n. 1. One who kisses. Beau. & Fl.
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2. the face or mouth. [slang]
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Kissing bug. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of blood-sucking, venomous Hemiptera that sometimes bite the lip or other parts of the human body, causing painful sores, as the cone-nose (Conorhinus sanguisuga). [U. S.]
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kissing cousin. A cousin sufficiently well acquainted to be greeted with a kiss; a type of kissing kin.
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Kissingcrust (?), n. (Cookery) The portion of the upper crust of a loaf which has touched another loaf in baking. Lamb.
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A massy fragment from the rich kissingcrust that hangs like a fretted cornice from the upper half of the loaf. W. Howitt.
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kissing disease. Infectious mononucleosis; -- so called because often spread by kissing.
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kissing kin. Any relative more distant than the immediate family, sufficiently well acquainted to be greeted with a kiss, such as a .
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Kissing strings (?) n. Cap or bonnet strings made long to tie under the chin.

One of her ladyship's kissing strings, once pink and fluttering and now faded and soiled. Pall Mall Mag.
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kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate n. An annual (Polygonum orientale) with broadly ovate leaves and slender drooping spikes of crimson flowers; it is native to Southeastern Asia and Australia, and naturalized in North America.
Syn. -- prince's-feather, prince's feather, princess feather, prince's-plume, Polygonum orientale.
[WordNet 1.5]

Kist (kĭst), n. [See .] A chest; hence, a coffin. [Scot. & Prov. End.] Jamieson. Halliwell.
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Kist, n. [Ar. gist.] A stated payment, especially a payment of rent for land; hence, the time for such payment. [India]
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Kistvaen (kĭstvān), n. [W. cist-faen.] (Archæol.) A Celtic monument, commonly known as a dolmen.
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Kit, (kĭt), v. t. [imp. Kitte.] To cut. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Kit, n. [See .] A kitten.
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Coloq. Kit fox (Zoöl.), a small burrowing fox (Vulpes velox), inhabiting the region of the Rocky Mountains. It is brownish gray, reddish on the breast and flanks, and white below. Called also swift fox.
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Kit, n. [Gf. AS. cytere harp, L. cithara. Cf. .] A small violin. “A dancing master's kit.” Grew.
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Prince Turveydrop then tinkled the strings of his kit with his fingers, and the young ladies stood up to dance. Dickens.
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Kit, n. [Cf. D. kit a large bottle, OD. kitte beaker, decanter.] 1. A large bottle.
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2. A wooden tub or pail, smaller at the top than at the bottom; as, a kit of butter, or of mackerel. Wright.
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3. A straw or rush basket for fish; also, any kind of basket. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
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4. A box for working implements.
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5. Hence: A collection of tools or other objects to be used for a specific purpose, often contained in a box which may be carried conveniently; a working outfit, as of a workman, a soldier, and the like; as, a plumber's kit; a doctor's kit; a cosmetic kit; a first-aid kit.
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6. A group of separate parts, things, or individuals; -- used with whole, and generally contemptuously; as, the whole kit of them; the whole kit and kaboodle.
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kitambilla n. 1. A small shrubby spiny tree (Dovyalis hebecarpa) cultivated for its maroon-purple fruit with sweet purple pulp tasking like gooseberries; it is native to Sri Lanka and India.
Syn. -- ketembilla, kitembilla, ketembilla tree, Ceylon gooseberry, Dovyalis hebecarpa.
[WordNet 1.5]

2. A maroon-purple gooseberrylike fruit of India having a tart-sweet purple pulp used especially for preserves.
Syn. -- ketembilla, kitembilla.
[WordNet 1.5]

kitbag n. a knapsack (usually for a soldier).
Syn. -- kit bag.
[WordNet 1.5]

Kitcat (?), a. 1. Designating a club in London, to which Addison and Steele belonged; -- so called from Christopher Cat, a pastry cook, who served the club with mutton pies.
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2. Designating a canvas used for portraits of a peculiar size, viz., twenty-eight or twenty-nine inches by thirty-six; -- so called because that size was adopted by Sir Godfrey Kneller for the portraits he painted of the members of the Kitcat Club. Fairholt.
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Kitcat, n. A game played by striking with a stick small piece of wood, called a cat, shaped like two cones united at their bases; tipcat. Cotton.
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Coloq. Kitcat roll (Agric.), a roller somewhat in the form of two cones set base to base. [Prov. Eng.]
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Kitchen (kĭchĕn), n. [OE. kichen, kichene, kuchene, AS. cycene, L. coquina, equiv. to culina a kitchen, fr. coquinus pertaining to cooking, fr. coquere to cook. See to prepare food, and cf. .] 1. A room equipped for cooking food; the room of a house, restaurant, or other building appropriated to cookery.
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Cool was his kitchen, though his brains were hot. Dryden.
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A fat kitchen makes a lean will. Franklin.
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2. A utensil for roasting meat; as, a tin kitchen.
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3. The staff that works in a kitchen.
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Coloq. Kitchen garden . See under . -- Coloq. Kitchen lee , dirty soapsuds. [Obs.] “A brazen tub of kitchen lee.” Ford. -- Coloq. Kitchen stuff , fat collected from pots and pans. Donne.
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Kitchen, v. t. To furnish food to; to entertain with the fare of the kitchen. [Obs.] Shak.
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Kitchener, n. A kitchen servant; a cook. Carlyle.
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Kitchenette (?), n. [Kitchen + -ette.] A room combining a very small kitchen and a pantry, with the kitchen conveniences compactly arranged, sometimes so that they fold up out of sight and allow the kitchen to be made a part of the adjoining room by opening folding doors.
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Kitchenmaid (kĭchĕnmād), n. A woman employed in the kitchen. Shak.
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