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• kemp
  kemp

  noun
• Kemp
  Kemp

  noun

  Jack F., 1935–2009, U.S. politician: congressman 1970–89.

kemp

¹ American  

[kemp] / kɛmp /

noun

1. British Dialect.

   1. a strong, brave warrior.

   2. an athlete, especially a champion.

   3. a professional fighter.

   4. an impetuous or roguish young man.

2. Scot. and North England. a contest, as between two athletes or two groups of workers, especially a reaping contest between farmworkers.

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verb (used without object)

1. Scot. and North England. to contest, fight, or strive, especially to strive in a reaping contest.

kemp ² American  

[kemp] / kɛmp /

noun

1. a short, coarse, brittle fiber, used chiefly in the manufacture of carpets.

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Kemp ³ American  

[kemp] / kɛmp /

noun

1. Jack F., 1935–2009, U.S. politician: congressman 1970–89.

2. a male given name.

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kemp British  

/ kɛmp /

noun

1. a coarse hair or strand of hair, esp one in a fleece that resists dyeing

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Other Word Forms

• kempy
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of kemp¹

before 900; Middle English kempe, Old English cempa; cognate with Old Frisian kempa, kampa, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German kemp ( e ), Old High German chemp ( i ) o; ultimately < West Germanic, perhaps through Latin campiō; see champion

Origin of kemp²

1350–1400; Middle English kempe coarse (said of hair); akin to Old English cenep mustache, bristly object, Old Norse kampr mustache, cat's whiskers

Explanation

In sheep's wool, spiky, brittle fibers that don't hold dye very well are called kemp. Wool with a lot of kemp is less valuable — and itchier! Kemp is derived from the Old Norse kampr, "beard or whisker." These short, stiff fibers are remarkably similar to the coarse hair of a beard — not ideal for spinning into soft wool for a sweater or scarf. The fanciest types of wool, like Merino, have almost no kemp. The one place these fibers are seen as desirable is in tweed, where they help give the wooly fabric its distinctive flecks of color and pattern.

Example Sentences

The coarse back will persist to some extent, and the hip will be plentifully covered with kemp.

From Practical Angora Goat Raising by

The kemp in Asia Minor is sometimes a different color from the mohair.

From Practical Angora Goat Raising by

There are many large goats, many heavy shearing goats, but there are very few fine fibered comparatively free from kemp goats.

From Practical Angora Goat Raising by

This mohair will be fit to run through the combs, and the "top," or long mohair, free from kemp, will be used in the manufacture of plushes, braids, etc.

From Practical Angora Goat Raising by

They came at me yonder in crowds, O kemp of the shield-serpents' wrangle!

From The Life and Death of Cormac the Skald by Collingwood, W. G. (William Gershom)