kappa

[ kap-uh ]

/ ˈkæp ə /

Save This Word!

noun

the tenth letter of the Greek alphabet (K, k).

the consonant sound represented by this letter.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of kappa

<Greek káppa<Semitic; see kaph

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use kappa in a sentence

There are two sets of steps leading from the front doors of Phi Kappa Psi house.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bonds of Phi Kappa Psi brotherhood were too strong to break.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Charlottesville Police did indeed have jurisdiction over the Phi Kappa Psi house.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I have not sued Phi Kappa Psi, the University of Virginia, or any of the individuals involved.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Trotter graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and became the first black man named to Phi Beta Kappa.
The Fight to Ban ‘Birth of a Nation’|Jack Schwartz|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And I remember being jealous because she was chosen by the Kappa Alpha as a candidate.
Ruth Fielding At College|Alice B. Emerson
They told him all their news, what games had been won, who had made Phi Beta Kappa, and what had happened at the frat.
The Witness|Grace Livingston Hill Lutz
Oiled it is kappa, impermeable and suitable for covering packages and for making waterproof garments.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, January 1900|Various
Virginia had gone into Phi Kappa that winter, and Theo had been so proud of her.
Smith College Stories|Josephine Dodge Daskam
He took scholarly as well as social honors, and came forth a Phi Beta Kappa man.
American Boy's Life of Theodore Roosevelt|Edward Stratemeyer

British Dictionary definitions for kappa

kappa

/ (ˈkæpə) /

noun

the tenth letter in the Greek alphabet (Κ, κ), a consonant, transliterated as c or k

Word Origin for kappa

Greek, of Semitic origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for kappa (1 of 2)

The Greek letter kappa. Entries beginning with this character are alphabetized under kappa.

Medical definitions for kappa (2 of 2)

kappa

[ kăp′ə ]

The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet.

adj.

Relating to or characterizing a polypeptide chain that is one of two types of light chains present in immunoglobins.