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kind2

[kahynd]
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noun
  1. a class or group of individual objects, people, animals, etc., of the same nature or character, or classified together because they have traits in common; category: Our dog is the same kind as theirs.
  2. nature or character as determining likeness or difference between things: These differ in degree rather than in kind.
  3. a person or thing as being of a particular character or class: He is a strange kind of hero.
  4. a more or less adequate or inadequate example of something; sort: The vines formed a kind of roof.
  5. Archaic.
    1. the nature, or natural disposition or character.
    2. manner; form.
  6. Obsolete. gender; sex.
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Idioms
  1. in kind,
    1. in something of the same kind or in the same way as that received or borne: They will be repaid in kind for their rudeness.
    2. in goods, commodities, or services rather than money: In colonial times, payment was often made in kind.
  2. kind of, Informal. to some extent; somewhat; rather: The room was kind of dark.
  3. of a kind, of the same class, nature, character, etc.: They are two of a kind.
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Origin of kind2

before 900; Middle English kinde, Old English gecynd nature, race, origin; cognate with Old Norse kyndi, Old High German kikunt, Latin gēns (genitive gentis); see kin
Can be confusedkind sort type (see usage note at the current entry) (see usage note at type)

Synonyms

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1. order, genus, species; breed; set.

Usage note

The phrase these (or those ) kind of, followed by a plural noun ( these kind of flowers; those kind of shoes ) is frequently condemned as ungrammatical because it is said to combine a plural demonstrative ( these; those ) with a singular noun, kind. Historically, kind is an unchanged or unmarked plural noun like deer, folk, sheep, and swine, and the construction these kind of is an old one, occurring in the writings of Shakespeare, Swift, Jane Austen, and, in modern times, Jimmy Carter and Winston Churchill. Kind has also developed the plural kinds, evidently because of the feeling that the old pattern was incorrect. These kind of nevertheless persists in use, especially in less formal speech and writing. In edited, more formal prose, this kind of and these kinds of are more common. Sort of has been influenced by the use of kind as an unchanged plural: these sort of books. This construction too is often considered incorrect and appears mainly in less formal speech and writing.
Kind (or sort ) of as an adverbial modifier meaning “somewhat” occurs in informal speech and writing: Sales have been kind (or sort ) of slow these last few weeks.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

rather, moderately
British Dictionary definitions for kind of

kind1

adjective
  1. having a friendly or generous nature or attitude
  2. helpful to others or to anothera kind deed
  3. considerate or humane
  4. cordial; courteous (esp in the phrase kind regards)
  5. pleasant; agreeable; milda kind climate
  6. informal beneficial or not harmfula detergent that is kind to the hands
  7. archaic loving
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Word Origin

Old English gecynde natural, native; see kind ²

kind2

noun
  1. a class or group having characteristics in common; sort; typetwo of a kind; what kind of creature?
  2. an instance or example of a class or group, esp a rudimentary oneheating of a kind
  3. essential nature or characterthe difference is one of kind rather than degree
  4. archaic gender or sex
  5. archaic nature; the natural order
  6. in kind
    1. (of payment) in goods or produce rather than in money
    2. with something of the same sortto return an insult in kind
  7. kind of informal
    1. (adverb)somewhat; ratherkind of tired
    2. (sentence substitute)used to express reservation or qualified assentI figured it out. Kind of
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Word Origin

Old English gecynd nature; compare Old English cyn kin, Gothic kuni race, Old High German kikunt, Latin gens

usage

The mixture of plural and singular constructions, although often used informally with kind and sort, should be avoided in serious writing: children enjoy those kinds (not those kind) of stories; these sorts (not these sort) of distinctions are becoming blurred
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 kind of

kind

n.

"class, sort, variety," from Old English gecynd "kind, nature, race," related to cynn "family" (see kin), from Proto-Germanic *gakundjaz "family, race" (see kind (adj.)). Ælfric's rendition of "the Book of Genesis" into Old English came out gecyndboc. The prefix disappeared 1150-1250. No exact cognates beyond English, but it corresponds to adjective endings such as Goth -kunds, Old High German -kund. Also in English as a suffix (mankind, etc.). Other earlier, now obsolete, senses in English included "character, quality derived from birth" and "manner or way natural or proper to anyone." Use in phrase a kind of (1590s) led to colloquial extension as adverb (1804) in phrases such as kind of stupid ("a kind of stupid (person)").

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kind

adj.

"friendly, deliberately doing good to others," from Old English gecynde "natural, native, innate," originally "with the feeling of relatives for each other," from Proto-Germanic *gakundiz "natural, native," from *kunjam (see kin), with collective prefix *ga- and abstract suffix *-iz. Sense development from "with natural feelings," to "well-disposed" (c.1300), "benign, compassionate" (c.1300).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with kind of

kind of

Also, sort of. Rather, somewhat, as in I'm kind of hungry, or The bird looked sort of like a sparrow. [Colloquial; c. 1800] This usage should not be confused with a kind of or a sort of, which are much older and refer to a borderline member of a given category (as in a kind of a shelter or a sort of a bluish color). Shakespeare had this usage in Two Gentlemen of Verona (3:1): “My master is a kind of a knave.” Also see of a kind.

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kind

In addition to the idiom beginning with kind

  • kind of

also see:

  • all kinds of
  • in kind
  • nothing of the kind
  • of a kind
  • two of a kind
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.