K
<
ancient greek
κάππα | kappa
< phoenician
kaph
(= hollow
of the hand).
kaleidoscope
<
ancient greek
καλός | kalos
(= beautiful) + είδος |
oedhos (=
form, shape) + σκοπός |
scopos (=
watcher) (< σκέπτομαι
| skeptomae
(= watch, examine, think)).
kamikaze
<
japanese
kamikaze
(= divine
wind) <
kami
(= god, providence) + kaze
(= wind) [it was the name of a typhoon which saved Japan from Mongol
invasion in 1281].
kangaroo
< (?)
1. aboriginal
ganurru
(= large kangaroo) or 2. aboriginal
ka guro
(= I don’t know) [the answer of an Aboriginal of Australia, when
the explorer captain J. Cook asked him about the name of this
animal].
kaolin
<
french
kaolin
<
chinese
Kaoling
/ Gaoling,
a mountain <
chinese
gao
(= high) + ling
(= mountain, hill).
kaput
<
german
kaputt
(= destroyed, ruined, lost) < (?) a misunderstanding of the phrase
capot
[machen]
(from card-playing) < a partial translation of french
[faire]
capot
(= to win
all the tricks) [in a card game].
karaoke
< japanese karaoke
< kara
(= empty) + oke
(= orchestra) (< a shortening of okesutora
< english orchestra
< latin
orchestra <
ancient greek ορχήστρα
| orkhēstra
< ορχούμαι
| orkhoumae
(= to dance)).
karate
< japanese
karate
(= empty
hand, unarmed hand) <
kara
(= empty) + te
(= hand).
Karen
< danish Karen
< a shortening of Katherine
(q.v.).
karma
< sanskrit
karma
(= action, work, fate) < I.E.
*kwer-
(= make, form).
Kashmir
< Cashmere
<
sanskrit
Kashypamara
(= land of Kashyap).
Kate
< a shortening of Katherine
(q.v.).
Katherine
< Catherine <
french
Catherine
[(?) by influence of folk etymology
from ancient greek
καθαρός |
katharos (= pure)] <
medieval
latin
Katerina
< latin
Ecaterina
< ancient
greek Αικατερίνη
| Aekaterinē.
Kathmandu
<
nepalese
Kathmandu
< kath
(= wooden) + mandu
(= temple).
kayak
< kajak
< danish
kajak
< eskimo
(of Greenland) qayaq
(= small
boat of skins).
Kayla
< Kay
< a shortening of Katherine
(q.v.).
Kazakhstan
< Kazakh
(< turkic
kazak
(= nomad)) + iranian
-stan
(= country, land).
kebab
<
armenian
[shish]
kabab
< turkish
siskebap
< sis
(= skewer) + kebap
(= roast meat).
keep
< middle
english
kēpen
< old
english
cepan
(= seize, hold, look out for) <
proto-germanic
*kopjan.
Kelly
< irish
Kelly
< old
irish
ceallach
(= war).
Kennedy
< irish
Kennedy
< (?) old
Irish cinneide
(= ugly head).
kennel
< middle english kennel
< anglo-french
*kenil
/ french
chenil
<
vulgar
latin
*canile
< latin
canis (=
dog) < I.E.
*kwon-
(= dog).
Kenneth
< scottish Kenneth
< gaelic
Caioneach
(= handsome,
comely).
Kenya
< (?) a
shortening of [Kikuyu]
Kirinyaga
[a name for the high mountain Kenya, which is snowcapped at the top]
< kere
nyaga
(= white
mountain).
kerchief
<
middle english kovrechief
(= cloth to cover the head) <
anglo-french
courchief
/ old
french
couvrechief
(= cover
head) <
couvrir
(= to cover) + chief
(= head) (< latin
caput
(= head)).
kernel
< old
english
cyrnel
(= seed, grain, kernel) <
proto-germanic
*kurnilo-
< I.E.
*gre-no-
(= grain).
kerosene
<
ancient greek
κηρός | kēros
(= wax) + [suffix] -ene.
ketchup
< malay
kichap
< chinese
koechiap
/ kejap (=
sauce for fish) < qie
(= eggplant) + chi
(= juice, sauce).
key
< middle
english
keie
< old
english
cæg
(= solution, explanation, key).
K.G.B.
< an acronym) of russian
Komitet
Gosudarstvennoy
Bezopasnosti
(= Committee for State Security).
khaki
< urdu
khaki
(= dusty)
< khak
(= dust) < persian source.
khan
<
turkish
khan
(= lord,
prince) < 1. khaqan
(= ruler, sovereign) or 2. mongolian hān
(= ruler, khan).
kick
< middle
english
kick
< (?) old
norse
kikna
(= bend backwards, sink at the knees).
kid
< middle
english
kid
(= the
young of a goat) <
proto-germanic
*kidjom.
kidnap
< kid
(= child)
+ nap
(= snatch
away) (< nab
(= seixe suddenly)).
kill
< middle
english
kill
< (?) old
english cwellan
(= kill, murder, execute) <
proto-germanic
*kwaljanan
< I.E.
*gwele-
(= throw, reach).
kilo
< a
shortening of kilogram
<
french
kilogramme
< kilo-
(< ancient
greek χίλιοι
| khilioe
(= 1000)) + late
latin
gramma
(= small weight) (<
ancient greek
γράμμα | ghramma
(= letter, small weight) < γράφω
| ghraphō
(= speak, draw)).
kilt
< quelt
< middle
english
kilten (=
to tuck up) <
scandinavian
source.
kin
< old
english
cynn
(= kind, nature, family, race) <
proto-germanic
*kunja (=
family) <
I.E.
*gene-
(= give birth)
kind
< old
english
gecynd
(= kind, nature, family, race) <
proto-germanic
*kundjaz (=
family, race) <
I.E.
*gene-
(= give birth).
kindergarten
< german
Kinder-Garten
(= children-garden)
< Kinder,
plural of Kind
(= child) (<
proto-germanic
*kundjaz (=
family, race)) + Garten
(= garden) (<
vulgar
latin
*gardinus [hortus]
(= enclosed [kitchen garden]) < frankish
*gardo
<
proto-germanic
*gardan-
(= enclose)).
kinematics
<
french
cinématique
[1834] <
ancient greek
κίνημα | kinēma
[gen. κινήματος |
kinēmatos]
(= movement, motion) (<
κινώ | kinō
(= to move).
kinetic
<
ancient greek
κινητικός |
kinētikos
(= moving, of motion) <
κινητός | kinētos
(= mobile, movable) < κινώ
| kinō (=
to move).
king
< old
english
king
< cyning
(= king, ruler) <
proto-germanic
*kuningaz
{> old
norse
konungr, danish
konge, dutch koning,
old high
german
kuning, german
König}.
kink
< dutch
kink
(= twist in a rope).
kiosk
< french
kiosque
< turkish
koshk
/ kiöshk
(= pavilion, summer house) <
persian
kushk
(= palace, villa, pavilion).
kiss
< old
english
cyssan
(= to touch with the lips) <
proto-germanic
*kussjan
{> norwegian
kyssa, swedish
kyssa, danish
kysse, dutch
kussen, german
küssen} <
*kuss-
< (?) imitative
origin.
kit
< middle
english
kit
(= round
wooden tub) < (?) middle
dutch
kitte
(= jug, tankard, wooden container).
kitchen
<
middle
english
kitchen <
old
english
cycene
(= kitchen) <
proto-germanic
*kokina
{> danish
kjøkken, middle
dutch
cökene, old high
german
chuhhina, german
Küche} < (?) vulgar
latin
*cocina
{> italian
cucina, french
cuisine, spanish
cocina} < latin
coquina
(= kitchen) <
coquina,
female of coquinus
(= of cooks) <
coquus
(= a cook) <
coquo
[inf. coquere]
(= to cook).
kitsch
< german
kitsch
(= gaudy,
trash) <
[dialectal] kitschen
(= to smear).
kitten
< middle
english
kitoun
(= the
young of a domestic cat) < old
french
chaton
/ chitoun
(= little
cat) < a diminutive of chat
(= cat) <
proto-germanic
*kattuz
< late
latin
cattus
(= cat).
kitty
< kitten
(q.v.) [(?) by influence of kitty
(= girl, young woman) < Catherine
(see Katherine)].
kiwi
< maori
kiwi
< imitative
origin.
kleptomania
< ancient greek
κλέπτης | kleptēs
(= thief) (<
κλέπτω | kleptō
(= to steal)) +
late latin mania
(< ancient greek
μανία |
mania (=
fury, madness) < μαίνομαι
| maenomae
(= to rage, go mad)).
knee
< old
english
cneo
/ cneow
(= knee) <
proto-germanic
*knewa-
{> old
norse kne,
dutch
knie, german
Knie} <
I.E. *genu-(1)
(= knee.
angle).
knife
< old
english
cnif
< (?) old
norse
knifr
(= knife, dirk) <
proto-germanic
*knibaz
{> middle
dutch
cnijf, german
kneif}.
knight
< old
english
cniht
(= boy, youth, servant, attendant) < germanic
source [cf. dutch knecht,
middle
high
german
kneht, german
Knecht].
knob
< middle
english
knobe
< scandinavian
/ german
source.
knock
< old
english
cnocian
(= to
pound, beat, knock on a door) < imitative
origin.
knot
< old
english
cnotta
<
proto-germanic
*knuttan-
{> dutch
knot, old high
german
knoto, german
Knoten}.
know
< old
english
cnawan
<
proto-germanic
*knew-
< I.E.
*gno-
(= to know).
knowledge
< middle
english
cnawlece
< know
(q.v.) +
-ledge
(< (?) scandinavian
source [cf. -lock
(= action, process)].
koala
< aboriginal
[of Australia] koola
kul(l)a.
Koran
<
arabic
qur’an
(= a reading, recitation, book) <
quara-a
(= he read, he recited).
Korea
<
chinese
Gao
li (=
high serenity), a name of a dynasty.
Kremlin
< Cremelena
< old
russian
kremlin
< kremlinu
<
kreml’
(= citadel, fortress) < (?) tartar
origin.
krypton
< ancient greek
κρυπτόν | krypton,
neuter of κρυπτός |
kryptos (=
hidden) [so called because this chemical element remained
undiscovered for a long time] < κρύπτω
| kryptō
(= hide).
kung
fu <
chinese gongfu
(= skillness)
< quan fa
(= principal
of boxing).
Kuwait
<
arabic
al-kuwayt
< al (=
the) +
kuwayt,
a diminutive of kut
(= a kind of fortress-like house) < (?) persian
origin.
Kyoto
< japanese Kyoto
< kyo
+ to
(= capital).
Kyrie
eleison <
middle
english Kyrie
eleison
< late
latin Kyrie
eleison (=
Lord have mercy) [a greek liturgical
phrase of the latin Mass] < ancient
greek κύριε
| kyrie,
vocative of κύριος |
kyrios (=
lord, master) + ελέησον
| eleēson,
imperative of past tense of ελεώ
| eleō
(= have pity on, show mercy to) (<
έλεος | eleos
(= pity, mercy)).