kaleidoscope < ancient greek καλός | kalos (= beautiful) + είδος | oedos (= form, shape) + σκοπός |
skopos (= 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 |
gramma (= letter, small weight) < γράφω | graphō (= 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)).
