Jump To:

• kemp
  kemp
• 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.

---

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.

---

Kemp ³ American  

[kemp] / kɛmp /

noun

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

2. a male given name.

---

kemp British  

/ kɛmp /

noun

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

---

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

Each of them had won her kemp; and it was currently said by them who ought to know, that neither of them could over-match the other.

From Irish Fairy Tales by W. B.

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

If the whole fleece were a fine one, and free from kemp, it would be sorted in the same way, but different parts of the fleece would go into proportionately higher classes.

From Practical Angora Goat Raising by

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

The snoozefest - which involved reluctant traitor James Acaster making faithful Ross Kemp yawn by boring him to tears - meant the paranoid EastEnders star was finally put out of his misery.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

The traitors agreed to stay out of the game themselves, before settling on Kemp, Ranganathan, his comic pal Rob Beckett and Little Mix and solo singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Ross Kemp was so happy it came out as borderline anger, with a vein-popping "get in there!"

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

He's also been joined on the One Show on separate occasions by Ross Kemp, Miranda Hart and James Blunt - and earlier this year, he discussed AI on stage with Hannah Fry.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

“Miss Kemp already wrote this year’s assignment on the board,” I told Imogene, “and it isn’t a science project.”

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---