K, k

[ key ]

/ keɪ /

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

Ecology.

carrying capacity.

K

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

Origin of K

abbreviation of kilo-

K

Symbol.

Chemistry. potassium.

Origin of K

From the New Latin word kalium

K

Chess. king.

Physics. Kelvin.

Music. Köchel listing.

kindergarten: a K–12 boarding school.

Real Estate. kitchen.

K

Symbol.

the eleventh in order or in a series, or, when I is omitted, the tenth.

Computers.

the number 1024 or 210: A binary 32K memory has 32,768 positions.
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 ]

/ ˈkæp ə /

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for k

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The cane, K K, is fastened by thread as in the diagram; the thread can pass through a hole in the cork.
Toy-Making in School and Home|Ruby Kathleen Polkinghorne and Mabel Irene Rutherford Polkinghorne
The weight of authority is for -st´k, though -s´tk would distinguish this word from another word, ascetic, of different meaning.
A Manual of Pronunciation|Otis Ashmore
To get the Conclusion from these, k and k′ must be eliminated, and what remains must be taken as one expression.
Symbolic Logic|Lewis Carroll
The cover of a coffee tin should now be soldered over the inlet valve, as shown at K, Fig. 219.
The Library of Work and Play: Mechanics, Indoors and Out|Fred T. Hodgson
"C" and "K" are wrought into a monogram 351 on the handle, which is three inches long, of embossed gold.
Glimpses of Three Coasts|Helen Hunt Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for k

k

K

/ (keɪ) /

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

symbol for

kilo(s)

maths the unit vector along the z-axis

K

symbol for

kelvin(s)

chess king

chem potassium

physics kaon

currency

kina
kip
kopeck
kwacha
kyat

one thousand

computing

a unit of 1024 words, bits, or bytes
(not in technical usage) 1000

abbreviation for

Cambodia (international car registration)

Word Origin for K

(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

/ (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

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.

Medicine definitions for k

kappa

[ kăp′ə ]

n.

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.

Science definitions for k

K

Abbreviation of kelvin

The symbol for potassium.

potassium

[ pə-tăs′ē-əm ]

K

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

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

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or k

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k

K

noun plural k's, K's or Ks

symbol for

K

symbol for

abbreviation for

Word Origin for K

K

K.

abbreviation for

kappa

noun

Word Origin for kappa

K

kappa

kappa

n.

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K