KIR 



413 



KNI 



possess the powers of government with- 

 out control ; limited monarchs when their 

 power is restricted by fixed laws. They 

 are hereditary sovereigns when they hold 

 the government by right of birth, and 

 elective when raised to the throne by the 



choice of the people. A card having 



the picture of a king on it ; also the chief 



piece in the game of chess. The sacred 



books of the Chinese. 



KING-AT-ARMS, an officer in England 

 of great antiquity, and formerly of great 

 authority, whose business is to direct the 

 heralds, preside at their chapters, and 

 have the jurisdiction of armoury. There 

 are three kings-at-arms, viz., garter, cla- 

 rencieux and norroy. 



KINO-POST, the middle post of a truss 

 frame, for suspending the tie-beam at the 

 middle and lower ends of the struts. 



KINGSTON, the angel-fish. Sqttatina 

 angelus. 



KINGS'-EVIL, a scrofulous disease in 

 which the glands are ulcerated. The gift 

 of curing this disease was formerly attri- 

 buted to the kings and queens of England, 

 and had its origin in the time of Edward 

 the Confessor. 



KING'S YEL'LOW, a yellow pigment com- 

 posed chiefly of orpiment. 



KIS'IC ACID, a peculiar vegetable acid 

 found in all the species of the genus Cin- 

 chona, and therefore called cinchonic acid, 

 nd kinie acid from kitut, a name for cin- 

 chona. The acid is obtained from the 

 cinchona bark. It forms salts called 

 kinates, but they are hardly known. 



KINK, a spontaneous twist of a rope, 

 &c. ; when hard twisted it endeavours to 

 untwist itself. This is also the vernacu- 

 lar name in Scotland for the paroxysm in 

 chin-cough. 



KI'NO, an Indian word. An extractive 

 matter obtained from various trees, which 

 grow in the East and "West Indies, Africa, 

 Botany Bay, &c. The kino now found in 

 the shops is brought from the East In- 

 dies, and is obtained from a shrubby 

 plant, the Nauclea gamba, by simply 

 bruising and boiling the branches and 

 twigs in water, and evaporating the de- 

 coction till it acquires the consistence of 

 an extract, which is kino. 



KIOSK, a Turkish word. A kind of 

 summer-house with a tent-shaped roof 

 supported on pillars, introduced from 

 Persia and Turkey into European gar- 

 den;, Ac 



KIP'PER, a termapplied to salmon when 

 unfit to be taken, and to the time when 

 salmon are so considered. 



KIRCHWAS'SER. 1. An alcoholic liquor 

 distilled in Germany and Rwitzerland t 

 from the Machaleb cherry, called kirchen 

 or kirschen in Germany. 



KIM. In Scotland, (1.) A church. (2.) 

 Ike Church of Scotland, as distinguished 



from dissenting churches. The word ia 

 the Sax. circ or ciric, related to xvpetxq, 

 from y|;of,lord. 



KIRK-SESSION. A church court, coin- 

 posed of the minister of the parish and the 

 elders. It examines cases of scandal, 

 poor's funds, &c. 



KIT-KAT, the denomination of a club in 

 London, to which Addison and Steele be- 

 longed, and so named from Christopher 

 Kat, the cook who served the club with 

 mutton-pies ! The word has now become 

 a common name for a portrait three- 

 fourths less than half-length, a portrait of 

 this size having been placed in the club- 

 room. 



KITE. 1. An ignoble bird of prey, the 



Falco milvus, Lin. See MILVUS. 2. An 



artificial bird, consisting of a slight 

 wooden frame covered with paper, used 

 chiefly as a juvenile plaything by boys. 

 It has of late been applied to some useful 

 purposes. 



KNECK, the twisting of a rope or cable 

 as it is veered out. 



KNEE. 1. In anatomy, the articulation, 

 of the thigh and leg bones. 2. In car- 

 pentry, a piece of timber somewhat in the 

 shape of the human knee when bent, 

 having two branches or arms, and used to 

 connect the beams of a ship, for instance, 

 with her sides or timbers. 



KNIGHT, originally a young man after 

 he was admitted to the privilege of bear- 

 ing arms. This privilege was conferred 

 on youths of family and fortune, and 

 hence sprung the honourable title of 

 knight in modern usage , which ranks next 

 to baronet, and entitles the person on 

 whom it is conferred to be styled Sir, and 

 his wife Lady. The knight of a shire is a 

 representative of a county in parliament, 

 originally a knight, but now any gentle- 

 man having an estate in land of 600. a 

 year is qualified. 



KNIGHT-ERRANT, a wandering-knight. 

 One, who in the enthusiasm of chivalry, 

 set out attended by his esquire or shield- 

 bearer, with the design of exposing his 

 life wherever wrong was to be redressed. 

 Knight-errants were, however, not ex- 

 actly the amiable creatures which poetry 

 represents them. 



KNIGHT-HEADS. In ships, bollard-tim- 

 bers ; two timbers rising just without the 

 stem, one on each side of the bowsprit, to 

 secure its inner end; also two strong 

 frames of timber which inclose and sup- 

 port the ends of the windlas. 



KNIGHTHOOD, a military order, honour, 

 or degree of ancient nobility, conferred a 

 a reward of valour or merit. It is of four 

 kinds; military, regular, honorary, or 

 social. 



KXIGHT-MAR'SHAL, an officer of the 

 royal household, who has cognizance o< 



