kappa

American  

[kap-uh] / ˈkæp ə /

noun

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

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

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kappa British  

/ ˈkæpə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of kappa

< Greek káppa < Semitic; see kaph

Example Sentences

Most Japanese schoolchildren know the kappa as a trickster who looks like a cross between a frog and a turtle with an indented head.

From New York Times • Apr. 16, 2023

One repeats the phrase “kappa,” a mythical monster, as in: “kappa kapparatta,” which translates to “the kappa took off with something” — a “rappa,” a “trumpet,” as it turns out in a later line.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2022

We’ve now made five guesses, and there are still four words that could be solutions where we’ve only guessed two of the letters: queue, kappa, kayak, mamma.

From Slate • Feb. 5, 2022

The P681R mutation, also found in the kappa variant, is located at the beginning of a part of the genome called the furin cleavage site, Cooper said.

From Salon • Jul. 29, 2021

“Very poorly explained...That is incorrect, the kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia.... Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn’t have given it three....”

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling