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• 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

See Examples For:

kemp Kemp

"This type of fleece, which contains kemp," Bellis explains, "that will tend to go into a carpet blend because of the colour."

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

I remember this as being an unsatisfactory game because one so constantly killed one’s own kemp instead of the enemy.

From Springtime and Other Essays by Sir Francis Darwin

At last the kemp day came, and with it all the pretty girls of the neighbourhood to Shaun Buie's.

From Irish Fairy Tales by W. B.

In getting this kemp out of the mohair many of the short mohair fibers are lost, so that combing is an expensive process.

From Practical Angora Goat Raising by

There it is the kemp which retains the color.

From Practical Angora Goat Raising by

The company also reported a net interest expense of $640 million for the quarter, while its adjusted operating income was $128 million, Kemp noted.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

“The caution is the scale of the commitments funding that demand,” Kemp told MarketWatch in emailed comments.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

“We have yet to see the consumer and corporate spending that would justify commitments on that scale,” Kemp said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Alex and co-host Roman Kemp will lead coverage in the studio while there will also be segments from across Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland as some of the show's memorable stories are revisited.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

I guess Miss Kemp was curious like everybody else.

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson