K, k

[key]

See more synonyms for K, k on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural K's or Ks, k's or ks.

the eleventh letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
any sound represented by the letter K or k, as in bilk, kit, or sick.
something having the shape of a K.

a written or printed representation of the letter K or k.
a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter K or k.

k

Symbol.

Mathematics. a vector on the z-axis, having length 1 unit.
Boltzmann constant.

K

Ecology.

carrying capacity.

K¹

the number 1000: The salary offered is $20K.

Origin of K¹

abbreviation of kilo-

K¹

Symbol.

Chemistry. potassium.

Origin of K¹

From the New Latin word kalium

K²

Chess. king.
Physics. Kelvin.
Music. Köchel listing.
kindergarten: a K–12 boarding school.
Real Estate. kitchen.

K²

Symbol.

the eleventh in order or in a series, or, when I is omitted, the tenth.
Computers.
1. the number 1024 or 210: A binary 32K memory has 32,768 positions.
2. kilobyte.
Baseball. strikeout; strikeouts.
Physics. kaon.
Biochemistry. lysine.

kk

or k

interjection Informal.

(used in text messages and other digital communications) okay; OK.

k.

Electricity. capacity.
karat.
kilogram; kilograms.
Chess. king.
knight.
knot.
kopeck.

K.

kip; kips.
Knight.
kwacha.

kappa

[kap-uh]

noun

the tenth letter of the Greek alphabet (K, k).
the consonant sound represented by this letter.

Origin of kappa

< Greek káppa < Semitic; see kaph

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for k

Contemporary Examples

Only the L, K, and A of the old sign remain stuck to the side of the office.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway
Nina Strochlic
December 18, 2014
While I was delighted to close my case, another detective in my squad was not: K was his witness, in a prior incident.
The Myth of the Central Park Five
Edward Conlon
October 19, 2014
I never saw J again, though I did run into K a few times after, and we talked.
The Myth of the Central Park Five
Edward Conlon
October 19, 2014
On K Street, which was very much designed as a five-hour piece, we were building it as we went.
The Director Isn’t Done Yet: An Interview With Steven Soderbergh
Andrew Romano
August 1, 2014
What Wall Street and K Street want, Wall Street and K Street do not necessarily get.
Obama Is the New Dubya
Lloyd Green
June 17, 2014

Historical Examples

Is the H a mistake for K, which would give a well-known Irish name?
Notes and Queries, Number 218, December 31, 1853
Various
It was lucky for Razumov that Prince K—- was not a man of timid character.
Under Western Eyes
Joseph Conrad
The K—— insists it was Roseville, and I hope you may be able to assure me that he is mistaken.
The Fortunes Of Glencore
Charles James Lever
These two collectors are also connected electrically with the conductor (K).
Electricity for Boys
J. S. Zerbe
This is noted by means of levels placed on the ring (at K for instance).
On Laboratory Arts
Richard Threlfall

British Dictionary definitions for k

k

K

noun plural k's, K's or Ks

the 11th letter and 8th consonant of the modern English alphabet
a speech sound represented by this letter, usually a voiceless velar stop, as in kitten
See five Ks

k

symbol for

kilo(s)
maths the unit vector along the z-axis

K

symbol for

kelvin(s)
chess king
chem potassium
physics kaon
currency
1. kina
2. kip
3. kopeck
4. kwacha
5. kyat
one thousand
computing
1. a unit of 1024 words, bits, or bytes
2. (not in technical usage) 1000

abbreviation for

Cambodia (international car registration)

Word Origin

(for sense 3) from New Latin kalium; (for sense 6) from kilo-; (for sense 8) from Kampuchea

K

K.

abbreviation for

Köchel: indicating the serial number in the catalogue (1862) of the works of Mozart made by Ludwig von Köchel (1800–77)

kappa

noun

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

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for k

K

Roman letter, from Greek kappa, ultimately from Phoenician and general Semitic kaph, said to be literally "hollow of the hand," so called for its shape. For more on the history of its use, see see C. As a symbol for potassium, it represents Latin kalium "potash." Slang meaning "one thousand dollars" is 1970s, from kilo-. As an indication of "strikeout" in baseball scorekeeping it dates from 1874, said to be from last letter of struck, perhaps because first letter already was being used as abbreviation for sacrifice. The invention of the scorecard symbols is attributed to U.S. newspaperman Henry Chadwick (1824-1908) of the old New York "Clipper."

Smith was the first striker, and went out on three strikes, which is recorded by the figure "1" for the first out, and the letter K to indicate how put out, K being the last letter of the word "struck." The letter K is used in this instance as being easier to remember in connection with the word struck than S, the first letter, would be. [Henry Chadwick, "Chadwick's Base Ball Manual," London, 1874]

K as a measure of capacity (especially in computer memory) or number (especially of salary), meaning "one thousand" is an abbreviation of kilo.

kappa

tenth letter of the Greek alphabet, from an Aramaized form of qoph; see K.

k in Medicine

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.

k in Science

K

Abbreviation of kelvin
The symbol for potassium.

potassium

[pə-tăs′ē-əm]

A soft, highly reactive, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali group occurring in nature only in compounds. It is essential for the growth of plants and is used especially in fertilizers and soaps. Atomic number 19; atomic weight 39.098; melting point 63.65°C; boiling point 774°C; specific gravity 0.862; valence 1. See Periodic Table.

K, k

k

K

K.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}K1

K1

Origin of K1

K2

K2

kk

or k

k.

K.

kappa

Origin of kappa

Examples from the Web for k

Contemporary Examples

Only the L, K, and A of the old sign remain stuck to the side of the office.

While I was delighted to close my case, another detective in my squad was not: K was his witness, in a prior incident.

I never saw J again, though I did run into K a few times after, and we talked.

On K Street, which was very much designed as a five-hour piece, we were building it as we went.

What Wall Street and K Street want, Wall Street and K Street do not necessarily get.

Historical Examples

Is the H a mistake for K, which would give a well-known Irish name?

It was lucky for Razumov that Prince K—- was not a man of timid character.

The K—— insists it was Roseville, and I hope you may be able to assure me that he is mistaken.

These two collectors are also connected electrically with the conductor (K).

This is noted by means of levels placed on the ring (at K for instance).

k

K

k

K

Word Origin

K

K.

kappa

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for k

K

kappa

kappa

K

potassium

K¹

Origin of K¹

K¹

Origin of K¹

K²

K²