Online Etymology Dictionary

kill (n.): "stream," 1639, Amer.Eng., from Du. kil, from M.Du. kille "riverbed," especially in place names (e.g. Schuylkill). A common Gmc. word, the O.N. form, kill, meant "bay, gulf" and gave its name to Kiel Fjord on the German Baltic coast and thence to Kiel, the port city founded there in 1240.
killdeer: 1731, Amer.Eng., species of North American ring-plover, the name imitative of its cry.
kiln: O.E. cyln, from L. culina "kitchen, cooking stove," unexplained variant of coquere "to cook" (see cook (n.)). O.N. kylna, Welsh cilin probably are from Eng.
kilo: 1870, shortening of kilogram. The prefix meaning "one thousand" was introduced in Fr. 1795, when the metric system was officially adopted there, from Gk. khilioi "thousand," of unknown origin. Slang shortening key (in drug trafficking) is attested from 1968.
Kilroy: U.S. military graffito character dates to 1945 and is said to be either Sgt. Francis J. Kilroy Jr., U.S. Army Air Transport, whose friend or friends began writing his name everywhere as a prank; or war materiéls inspector James J. Kilroy of Quincy, Mass., who wrote "Kilroy was here" on everything he checked.
kilt: "plaited tartan skirt," c.1730, from M.E. verb kilten "to tuck up" (mid-14c.), from a Scandinavian source (cf. Dan. kilte op "to tuck up;" O.N. kilting "shirt," kjalta "fold made by gathering up to the knees").
kilter: in out of kilter (1628) variant of Eng. dial. kelter (1606) "good condition, order," of unknown origin.
kimono: 1637, from Japanese kimono, lit. "a thing put on," from ki "wear" + mono "thing."
kin: O.E. cyn "family, race, kind, nature," from P.Gmc. *kunjan (cf. O.N. kyn, O.H.G. chunni, Goth. kuni "family, race," O.N. kundr "son," Ger. kind "child"), from PIE *gen- "to produce" (see genus). Kinship is a modern word, first attested 1833 in writing of Mrs. Browning.
kind (n.): "class, sort, variety," from O.E. gecynd "kind, nature, race," related to cynn "family" (see kin), from P.Gmc. *gakundiz (see kind (adj.)). Ælfric's rendition of "the Book of Genesis" into O.E. came out gecyndboc. The prefix disappeared 1150-1250. No exact cognates beyond Eng., but it corresponds to adj. endings such as Goth -kunds, O.H.G. -kund. Also as a suffix (mankind, etc.). Other earlier, now obs., senses in Eng. included "character, quality derived from birth" and "manner or way natural or proper to anyone." Use in phrase a kind of (1591) led to colloquial extension as adv. (1804) in phrases such as kind of stupid ("a kind of stupid (person)").
kind (adj.): "friendly," from O.E. gecynde "natural, native, innate," originally "with the feeling of relatives for each other," from P.Gmc. *gakundiz, from *kunjan (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). Kindly (adj.) is O.E. gecyndelic. Kind-hearted is from 1530s; kindness is from late 13c.
kindergarten: 1852, from Ger., lit. "children's garden," from Kinder "children" (pl. of Kind "child") + Garten "garden" (see yard (1)). Coined 1840 by Friedrich Fröbel (1782-1852) in ref. to his method of developing intelligence in young children, the first one in Eng. established 1850 by Johannes Ronge, Ger. Catholic priest. Taken into Eng. untranslated, where other nations that borrowed the institution nativized the name (cf. Dan. börnehave, Modern Heb. gan yeladim, lit. "garden of children").
kindle: c.1200, from O.N. kynda "to kindle," of uncertain origin, + freq. suffix -le. Kindling "material for lighting fire" is from 1513.
kindred: c.1200, kinraden, compound of kin (q.v.) + -rede, from O.E. ræden "condition, rule," related to rædan "to advise, rule" (see read). With intrusive -d- (17c.) probably for phonetic reasons (cf. thunder) but perhaps encouraged by kind (n.).
kine: archaic plural of "cow," actually a double plural (cf. children) or a gen. pl. of M.E. kye "cows," from O.E. cy, pl. of cu "cow."
kinesthetic: 1880, coined by British neurologist Henry Charlton Bastian (1837-1915) from Gk. kinein "to move" + aisthesis "sensation."
kinetic: 1864, from Gk. kinetikos "moving, putting in motion," from kinetos "moved," verbal adj. of kinein "to move."
king: O.E. cyning, from P.Gmc. *kuninggaz (cf. Du. koning, O.H.G. kuning, O.N. konungr, Dan. konge, Ger. könig). Possibly related to O.E. cynn "family, race" (see kin), making a king originally a "leader of the people;" or from a related root suggesting "noble birth," making a king originally "one who descended from noble birth." The sociological and ideological implications make this a topic of much debate. Finnish kuningas "king," O.C.S. kunegu "prince" (Rus. knyaz, Boh. knez), Lith. kunigas "clergyman" are loans from Gmc. In O.E., used for names of chiefs of Anglian and Saxon tribes or clans, then of the states they founded. Also extended to British and Danish chiefs they fought. The chess piece so called from 1411; the playing card from 1563; use in checkers/draughts first recorded 1820. Applied in nature to species deemed remarkably big or dominant (e.g. king crab, 1698),
"As leon is the king of bestes." [John Gower, "Confessio Amantis," 1390]
Kingfisher (1440) was originally king's fisher, for obscure reasons. Kingdom-come "the next world" (1785) is from the Lord's Prayer. The film "King Kong" was released 1933.
king's evil: "scrofula," late 14c., translates M.L. regius morbus; so called because the kings of England and France claimed to heal it by their touch. In England, the custom dates from Edward the Confessor and was continued through the Stuarts (Charles II touched 90,798 sufferers) but was ended by the Hanoverians (1714).
kink: 1670s, a nautical term, from Du. kink "twist in a rope" (also found in French and Swedish), probably related to O.N. kika "to bend at the knee" (see kick). Figurative sense of "odd notion, mental twist" first recorded in Amer.Eng., 1803, in writings of Thomas Jefferson.
kinky: 1844, "full of kinks," from kink. Meaning "odd, eccentric" is from 1889; that of "sexually perverted" is from 1959.
kiosk: 1625, "open pavilion," from Fr. kiosque, from Turk. koshk "pavilion, palace," from Pers. kushk "palace, portico." Modern sense influenced by Brit. telephone kiosk (1928).
kipper: O.E. cypera "male salmon," perhaps related to coper "reddish-brown metal" (see copper), on resemblance of color. Another theory connects it to kip, name for the sharp, hooked lower jaw of the male salmon in breeding season, from M.E. kippen "to snatch, tug, pull." The modern word usually refers to kippered herring, from a verb meaning "to cure a fish by cleaning, salting, and spicing it" (1326). The theory is that this was originally done to salmon, hence the name.
kir: "white wine and crème de cassis," 1966 (popular in U.S. 1980s), from Canon Felix Kir (1876-1968), mayor of Dijon, who is said to have invented the recipe.
Kiribati: island nation in the Pacific, formerly Gilbert Islands and named for Capt. Thomas Gilbert, who arrived there 1788 after helping transport the first shipload of convicts to Australia. At independence in 1979 it took the current name, which represents the local pronunciation of Gilbert. Christmas Island, named for the date it was discovered by Europeans, is in the chain and now goes by Kiritimati, likewise a local pronunciation of the English name.
kirk: c.1200, northern England and Scot. dial. form of church, from O.N. kirkja "church," from O.E. cirice (see church).
kirschwasser: "liquor distilled from fermented cherry juice," 1819, from Ger., lit. "cherry-water;" first element from M.H.G. kirse, from O.H.G. kirsa, from V.L. *ceresia, from L.L. cerasium "cherry" (see cherry).
kirtle: "a man's tunic; a woman's skirt," O.E. cyrtel, related to O.N. kyrtill "tunic," probably both from L. curtus "short" + dim. suffix -el.
kismet: 1834, from Turk. qismet, from Ar. qismah, qismat "portion, lot, fate," from root of qasama "he divided."
kiss (v.): O.E. cyssan "to kiss," from P.Gmc. *kussijanan (cf. O.S. kussian, O.N. kyssa, O.Fris. kessa, Ger. küssen), from *kuss-, probably ultimately imitative of the sound. The O.E. noun was coss, which became M.E. cuss, but this yielded to kiss, from the verb. For vowel evolution, see bury. There appears to be no common I.E. root word for "kiss," though suggestions of a common ku- sound may be found in the Gmc. root and Gk. kynein "to kiss," Hittite kuwash-anzi "they kiss," Skt. cumbati "he kisses."
"Kissing, as an expression of affection or love, is unknown among many races, and in the history of mankind seems to be a late substitute for the more primitive rubbing of noses, sniffing, and licking." [Buck, p.1113]
Some languages make a distinction between the kiss of affection and that of erotic love (cf. L. saviari "erotic kiss," vs. osculum, lit. "little mouth"). Fr. embrasser "kiss," but lit. "embrace," came about in 17c. when the older word baiser (from L. basiare) acquired an obscene connotation. Kiss of death (1948) is in ref. to Judas' kiss in Gethsemane (Matt. xxvi.48-50). Slang kisser "mouth" is from 1860. Insulting invitation kiss my ass is at least from 1705, but probably much older (cf. "The Miller's Tale").
kit (1): "round wooden tub," 1275, probably from M.Du. kitte "jug, tankard, wooden container," of unknown origin. Meaning "collection of personal effects," especially for traveling (originally in ref. to a soldier), is from 1785; that of "outfit of tools for a workman" is from 1851. Kit and caboodle is 1861, from boodle "lot, collection," perhaps from Du. boedel "property."
kit (2): "small fiddle used by dancing teachers," 1519, probably a shortening of O.E. cythere, from L. cithara, from Gk. kithara (see guitar).
kit-cat: club founded by Whig politicians in London, 1703; so called from Christopher ("Kit") Catling, keeper of the tavern on Shire Lane, near Temple Bar, in which the club first met. As a designation for "a size of portrait less than half length" (1754), supposedly because the dining room in which portraits of club members hung was too low for half-length portraits.
kitchen: O.E. cycene, from W.Gmc. *kocina (cf. M.Du. cökene, O.H.G. chuhhina, Ger. Küche, Dan. kjøkken), probably borrowed from V.L. *cocina (cf. Fr. cuisine, Sp. cocina), variant of L. coquina "kitchen," from fem. of coquinus "of cooks," from coquus "cook," from coquere "to cook" (see cook (n.)). Kitchen cabinet "informal but powerful set of advisors" is Amer.Eng. slang, 1832, originally in ref. to administration of President Andrew Jackson. Kitchen midden (1863) in archaeology translates Dan. kjøkken mødding. The New York City neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen is first attested 1894. Kitchenette is from 1910, Amer.Eng. Phrase everything but the kitchen sink is from World War II armed forces slang, in ref. to intense bombardment.
kite: bird of prey (Milvus ictinus), O.E. cyta "kind of hawk," probably imitative of its cries (cf. ciegan "to call," Ger. Kauz "screech owl"). The toy kite first so-called 1664, from its way of hovering in the air like a bird. Meaning "write a fictitious check" (1839, Amer.Eng.) is from 1805 phrase fly a kite "raise money by issuing commercial paper on nonexistent funds." However, the dismissive invitation to go fly a kite is said to be a ref. to the bird, reflecting the contempt of it as a scavenger and eater of garbage.
kith: O.E. cyðð "native country, home," from cuð "known," pp. of cunnan "to know" (see can (v.)). The alliterative phrase kith and kin (late 14c.) originally meant "country and kinsmen."
kitsch: 1926, from Ger., lit. "gaudy, trash," from dial. kitschen "to smear."
kitten: late 14c., probably from an Anglo-Fr. variant of O.Fr. chitoun (O.N.Fr. caton) "little cat," from chat "cat," from L.L. cattus (see cat). Applied playfully to a young girl, a sweetheart, from 1870.
kitty: 1719, variant of kitten, perhaps infl. by kitty "girl, young woman" (c.1500), originally a pet form of Catherine. The sense of "pool of money in a card game" first recorded 1887, probably from kit, in a sense of "collection of necessary supplies" (1833; see kit (1)); but perhaps rather from northern slang kitty "prison, jail, lock-up" (1825), of uncertain origin. Kitty Hawk, N.C., is apparently a mangling of a native Algonquian name; it also has been written as Chicahauk.
Kiwanis: businessmen's and professionals' society, formed in Detroit, 1915, the name is of obscure meaning.
kiwi: "type of flightless bird," 1835, from Maori kiwi, of imitative origin. As slang for "a New Zealander," it is attested from 1918. The kiwi fruit (Actinia chinesis), was originally imported to the U.S. from China (c.1966) and is known in New Zealand as Chinese gooseberry (1925).
klatsch: 1953, from Ger., "gossip," which is said in Ger. sources to be onomatopoeic (cf. klatschen "clap hands," klatsch "a single clap of the hands").
klaxon: "loud warning horn," 1910, originally of cars, said to have been named for the company that made them, probably based on Gk. klazein "to roar," cognate with L. clangere "to resound."
Kleagle: title of an officer in the KKK, 1924, from Klan + eagle.
Kleenex: 1925, proprietary name, reg. by Cellucotton Products Company, Neenah, Wisconsin, U.S.; later Kimberly-Clark Corp. An arbitrary alteration of clean + brand-name suffix -ex.
kleptomania: 1830, formed from Gk. kleptes "thief" (from kleptein "to steal, act secretly" from PIE base *klep- "to steal," extention of base *kel- "to cover, conceal;" cf. L. clepere "to steal, listen secretly to," O.Pruss. au-klipts "hidden," O.C.S. poklopu "cover, wrapping," Goth. hlifan "to steal," hliftus "thief") + mania "madness." Shortened form klepto for kleptomaniac is attested from 1958. Kleptocracy "rule by a class of thieves" is first attested 1819, in ref. to Spain.
klezmer: late 19c. (plural klezmorim); originally, "an itinerant East European Jewish professional musician," from Heb. kley zemer, lit. "vessels of song," thus "musical instruments."
klieg: kind of arc lamp used as a studio light, 1925, from U.S. engineers, brothers Anton and John Kliegl, who invented it.
Klondike: tributary of the Yukon River in northwestern Canada, from Kutchin tron-duik "hammer river." Scene of a gold rush after 1896.
klutz: 1965 (implied in klutzy), Amer.Eng., from Yiddish klots "clumsy person, blockhead," lit. "block, lump," from M.H.G. klotz "lump, ball."