1. Tho eleventh letter and 
eighth consonant of the 
l'.n<,'lish alphabet; the elev- 
enth character also of the 
Phenician alphabet, from 
which it has come to us 
through the Latin and 
Greek. The comparative scheme 
of forms, Pheiiiclan with its de- 
scendants and its claimed originals (see A ), is as follows : 
K 
Early 
Creek and Latin. 
Egyptian. 
Hieroglyphic, Hieratic. 
Pheni- 
cian. 
K was little used in classical Latin, its office having been 
transferred to C(as is explained under C); hence it is not 
common in most alphabets derived from the Latin, as Ital- 
ian and French. It was scarcely used in Anglo-Saxon, the 
Ar-sound being regularly represented by e t of which k was 
only an occasional variant ; but It became common in early 
Middle English, from the thirteenth century, and gained 
repidlyin frequency.being needed to represent thuJr-antiml 
where the c would be ambiguous, owing to the assibilation 
of c before certain vowels. (SeeC, cA.) It is now the regu- 
lar symbol for the sound it denotes in all the Teutonic lan- 
guages, except English. In the modern English spelling 
of words of Anglo-Saxon, Romance, or Latin origin it occurs 
for this sound before e and t, > being used before other vow- 
els and before consonants. In foreign words not of Romance 
or Latin origin /. is the usual initial symbol for the sound. 
Medially and finally, the sound is denoted in English by '/,-, 
as in back, bicker, etc. K has no variety of pronunciation 
in English, being everywhere the surd or breathed corre- 
spondent to the sonant or voiced .-/ (hard). It is called a 
guttural, or, better, a back-palatal, being the audible re- 
sult of a breach of contact between the upper surface of 
the back part of the tongue and the opposite surface of 
the palate ; It Is related to g (hard) ana ng as ( is related 
to '/ and n, and p to ft and m. It Is, however, now silent 
before n, in words like knife, knight ; and, while itself no 
longer doubled in English words, it is used with c as a 
substitute for double e or double k, as In sick, tuck. In 
words belonging to the Teutonic part of our language, 
the Ar-sound represents to a large extent a more original 
V sound, as in Arm, answering to Latin genut, Greek yevo* 
(Sanskrit jn<D. Owing to the variable English transliter- 
ation of Oriental words (Arabic, Hebrew, Hindustani, Per- 
sian, Turkish, etc.), A: (ore) may represent any one of sev- 
eral different kinds of Ar-sounds, more precisely represent- 
ed (as in the etymologies of this dictionary) by Ar, kh, a, gh, 
h, etc. Such words are preferably entered under the form 
nearest the original ; but usage is too arbitrary aud vari- 
ous to be brought under any rule. 
2. In chem., the symbol for potassium (NL. ka- 
lium). 3. As an abbreviation: (a) [/. c.] In 
meteor., of cumulus (c being used for cirrus), 
(b) Of king, knight, etc. : as, K. G., Knight of the 
Garter, (c) Of carat. 4. In math., k is gener- 
ally a constant coefficient. It is also a unit vec- 
tor perpendicular to and j. 5. As a numeral 
in medieval use, 250. 
ka 1 , kae (ka, ka), . [An obs. or dial. var. of 
coei.] The jackdaw. [Scotch.] 
In spite ' a' the thievish kaei 
That haunt St. Jamie's ! 
Hum*, Prayer to the Scotch Representatives. 
ka'-t, kaat, ' < See cn s . 
Kan me, kun thee, runs through court and country. 
Margton, Jonson, and Chapman, Eastward Ho, 11. 1, 
ka :i t, ' A variant of ko, for quoth (often for 
i/ HO th he). 
Enamoured, quod you ? have ye spied out that? 
Ah, sir, mary nowe, I see you know what Is what 
Enamoured, ka t mary, sir, say that againe. 
riMl, Roister Dolster, 1. 2. 
Kaaba, Caaba (kii'ba or ka'a-M)> n. [< Ar. 
kn'bali, a square building, < ka'b, a cube.] A 
cube-shaped, flat-roofed building in the center 
of the Great Mosque at Mecca : the most sacred 
shrine of the Mohammedans. In its southeast 
corner it contains the sacred black stone called hajar at 
aswvd. said to have been originally a ruby which came 
down from heaven, but now blackened by the tears shed 
for sin by pilgrims. This stone is an Irregular oval about 
seven inches in diameter, and is composed of about a 
dozen smaller stones of different shapes and sizes. It 
is the point toward which all Mohammedans face dur- 
ing their devotions. The Kaaba is opened to worshipers 
twice or three times a year, but only the faithful are per- 
mitted to approach it. 
The Kaabah stands in an oblong square (enclosed by a 
great wall) '250 paces long, and 200 broad, none of the sides 
of which run quite in a straight line, though at Ant light 
the whole appears to be of a regular shape. 
llurrtliiinli, quoted in Burton's El-Medluah, p. 366. 
kaama, . See caanui, 2. 
kaareewan (ka-re'wan), n. [Native name.] A 
tree of Queensland, Acacia glaucescens, 50 feet 
or more in height, with a wood of handsome ap- 
pearance, hard, close, and tough. 
kab, n. See cab*. 
kabab, n. and v. See cabob. 
kabala, n. See cabala. 
kabalassou, cabalassou (kab-a-las'8), n. The 
priodontine or giant armadillo, Priodonteg gi- 
gax. 
kabassou, cabassou (ka-bas'8), n. [S. Amer. 
name.] A xenurine armadillo, as Xenurus uni- 
fiin-liiK or X. hispidus. 
kabbala, kabbalah (kab'a-la), n. See cabala. 
kabob. . and v. See cabob. 
kabook, . Another spelling of cabook. 
Kabyle (ka-bil'), n. [P. Kabyle; < Ar. Qabdil, 
prop. pi. of qabila, a tribe, horde, species.] 1. 
One of a Berber race dwelling in Algeria, par- 
ticularly in the mountains of the coast. Allied 
tribes are found In the neighboring countries of N'orth 
Africa. The Kabyles are believed to be of Hamitic ori- 
gin, and are Sunnite Mohammedans. 
2. A dialect of Berber, spoken by many of the 
Kabyles. 
Kachuga (ka-ku'gii), n. [NL.J The typical ge- 
nus of Kachugina. J. E. Gray. 
Kachuginae (kak-u-ji'ne), . pi. [< Kachuga 
+ -I/MB.] A subfamily of tortoises of the fam- 
ily Bataguridae, typified by the genus Kachuga. 
It was named by J. K. Gray for species having five claws 
on the fore and four on the hind feet, the snout slightly 
produced, the alveolar surface of the upper Jaw with one 
straight angular ridge and a central longitudinal ridge. 
It includes a number of Asiatic species, referred to four 
genera. 
kachugine (kak'u-jin), a. [< Kachuga + -tnel.] 
Having characteristics of the Kdchugince. 
Kadarite (kad'a-rit), n. [< Ar. (> Turk.) qadar, 
predestination, divine fiat (< qadara, be able), 
+ -te 2 .] One of a Mohammedan school or 
sect which denies the doctrine of predestina- 
tion and maintains that of free will. 
kaddisb (kad'ish), n. [Heb.] In Jewish ritu- 
al, a form of thanksgiving and prayer, contain- 
ing special reference to the approach of the 
kingdom of God, used at funerals, annual com- 
memorations, etc. 
Is any harm come to him because the eleven years went 
by with no wretched Kaddish said for him? I can not 
tell. If yon think KaddM will help me, say It, say it. 
Qearge Eliot, Daniel Dcronda. liii. 
kades (kadz), n. [Cf. fcetX] Sheep's dung. 
Halliteell; Davies. [Prov. Eng.] 
I rather think the kadet and other filth that fall from 
sheep do so glut the fish that they will not take any arti- 
ficial bait. W. Lauton ( Arber's Eng. Garner, I. 196). 
kadi, cadi 1 (ka'di or ka'di), ti. [Formerly also 
cadae, cadee; Turk, kadi, kazi, a judge, < Ar. 
i/<iili (qadhi), a judge, magistrate, < qaday, 
judge : cf. alcalde.] A judge in Moslem coun- 
tries. 
kadi-kane (ka-de-ka'na), n. The Indian name 
of a large grass, Panievm iWflcewro,extnsively 
cultivated in tropical Asia for its seed. Also 
called warree. 
kadilesker, cadilesker (kad-i-les'ker), n. [< 
Turk, kadi (kasiyyu) -I- 'asker, kazi 'asker, judge 
of the army: kadi, kazi, judge; al, the; asker, 
army.] The chief judjje in the Turkish empire : 
so called because originally he had jurisdiction 
over the soldiery, who now, however, can be 
tried only by their own officers. 
kadle-dock (ka'dl-dok), . 1. The ragwort, 
Srnccio Jacoba:a. 2. The wild chervil,.kntAr#- 
fiix.ii/lrfxtriK. [Prov. Kn<,'. in Imtli uses.] 
Kadmee(kad'me), n. [Pers.] Amemberofone 
of two sects of the Parsees of India, the other 
being the Shenshais. They do not differ in faith, but 
only in regard to the correct chronology of the era of 
Yezdegird, the last king of the Sasanian dynasty, who was 
dethroned by the I'alif Omar about A. i>. 640, and conse- 
Ml 
quently as to the correct dates for the celebration of their 
festivals. 
kados (ka'dos), n. [Gr. wiiiof: see rrtrftw.] Same 
Kadsura (kad-su'rft), n. [NL. (Kampfer, 1810), 
< Jap. katsura.] A genus of climbing shrubs of 
the order Magiiolittrctp, tribe Schizandreee : dis- 
tinguished from Scltizandra, the only other ge- 
nus of the tribe, by the berry-like and globose, 
instead of elongated, fruit. There are about 7 
species, natives of tropical Asia. 
kae, w. See ka 1 . 
Kaempferia (kemp-fe'ri-S), n. [NL. (Linnaeus), 
named after one Kampfer (1651-1716). a Ger- 
man who traveled many years in Asia.] A ge- 
nus of plants of the order Scitamine<e, natives of 
tropical Africa, eastern India, and the Malay 
archipelago, having flowers in spikes with im- 
bricated scales at the apex of short, few-leafed, 
or leafless and scaly stems; a slender calyx- 
tube, bearing a curious, irregular, three-lobed 
corolla ; and a single crested stamen whose fila- 
ment is wrapped about the style. There are about 
18 species, several of which are cultivated for ornament, 
and one, K. Oaianga, furnishes one of the drugs known u 
ualangal. 
Kaffer, Kaffir, . and a. See Kafir. 
kaffiyen (kaf'i-ye), TO. [Syrian.] In Syria, a 
small shawl or scarf worn about the head, and 
bound with a colored cord. 
As we ride on we see to the left a large herd of camels, 
and pass their driver, a fierce-looking dark-skinned man, 
with bare arms, legs, and feet, astride a skinny little 
horse, a coloured Icajfn/eh on his head, a striped abbaya or 
burnous over his shoulder. 
Fortnightly Rev., N. 8., XLIIL 624. 
kaffle, n. Same as cnffle. 
Kaffrarian (kaf-ra'ri-an), a. and n. [< Kaf- 
fraria, Caffraria (see 'def.) (< Kafir, Kaffir, 2), 
+ -an.~\ f. a. Pertaining to Kaffraria or Caffra- 
ria, the country of the Kafirs in South Africa. 
Kaffrarian region, in zoogeog. See region. 
II. n. An inhabitant of Kaffraria. 
kafila (kaf 'i-lft), n. [= Turk. Pere. qafila, kdfila 
= Hind, qafldh, < Ar. qafila, a caravan : see cof- 
J/'.\ A train of loaded camels; a caravan. Also 
cafflla, cafilah, kafilali. 
Kafir, Kaffir (kaf'er), n. and a. [= Pers. kafir 
= Turk, kafir (kyajir), < Ar. kdfir, an unbeliev- 
er, an infidel.] I. M. 1. An unbeliever; an in- 
fidel: applied malevolently by Mohammedans 
to Christians and pagan negroes. 2. One of a 
South African race, inhabiting parts of Cape 
Colony, Natal, and neighboring lands : so called 
originally by the Mohammedan inhabitants of 
eastern Africa, on account of their refusal to 
accept the faith of Mohammed. They are divided 
Into several branches or tribes, of which the Zulus are the 
best-known, are of a bronze color, with woolly, tufted hair, 
tall, well-made, athletic, and acute in Intellect. 
3. The language of the Kafirs, a branch of the 
South African or Bantu family. It is also called 
Zulu-Kafir. 4. One of a race inhabiting Kafir- 
istan, a mountainous region on the northeast of 
Afghanistan, who have always maintained their 
independence and resisted conversion to Mo- 
hammedanism. Little is known of them, but they ap- 
pear to be of Aryan stock, and are divided into a number of 
tribes speaking different languages or dialects. Kafir's 
simitar-tree. See llarptphyttum. 
n. a. Of or belonging to the Kafirs : as, the 
Kafir tongue : Kafir customs. 
Also written faffer, Caffre, Kaffer, Kaffre. 
Kafir-boom (kaf'er-bSm), . A tree of the ge- 
nus Erythrina. 
Kafir-bread (kaf 'er-bred), . The spongy, fari- 
naceous pith of the stem of a South African 
cycadaceous plant, EncenJtalartos Coffer. See 
Encephalartos and breadfruit. 
Kafir-corn (kaf'er-kfirn), n. Indian millet, 
Sorghum vulgare, which is cultivated in parts 
of Africa as a cereal. See durra, sorghum. 
Kafir's-tree (kaf'erz-tre), n. Same as Kafir- 
boom. See Erythrina. 
Kafir-tea (kaf ^er-te), n. The plant Helifhry- 
xiini nudifolium. 
