Online Etymology Dictionary

kinsman (n.): c.1200, kenesmen, from late Old English cynnes mannum; see kin + man. Kinswoman is recorded from c.1400.
kiosk (n.): 1620s, "open pavilion," from French kiosque (17c.), from Turkish koshk, kiöshk "pavilion, palace," from Persian kushk "palace, portico." Later of newsstands (1865). Modern sense influenced by British telephone kiosk (1928).
kipper (n.): Old English 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 Middle English 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" (early 14c.). The theory is that this originally was done to salmon, hence the name.
kir (n.): "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 (n.): c.1200, northern England and Scottish dialectal form of church, from a Scandinavian source, cf. Old Norse kirkja "church," from Old English cirice (see church).
kirschwasser (n.): "liquor distilled from fermented cherry juice," 1819, from German Kirschwasser, literally "cherry-water;" first element from Middle High German kirse, from Old High German kirsa, from Vulgar Latin *ceresia, from Late Latin cerasium "cherry" (see cherry). For second element, see water (n.1).
kirtle (n.): "a man's tunic; a woman's skirt," Old English cyrtel, related to Old Norse kyrtill "tunic;" both regarded as probably from Latin curtus "short" (see curt) + diminutive suffix -el.
kismet (n.): "fate, destiny," 1834, from Turkish qismet, from Arabic qismah, qismat "portion, lot, fate," from root of qasama "he divided."
From a nation of enthusiasts and conquerors, the Osmanlis became a nation of sleepers and smokers. They came into Europe with the sword in one hand and the Koran in the other: were they driven out of their encampment, it would be with the Koran in one hand and the pipe in the other, crying: 'Kismet! Kismet! Allah kehrim!' (God hath willed it! God is great!) [Dr. James O. Noyes, "The Ottoman Empire," "The Knickerbocker," October 1858]
Popularized as the title of a novel in 1877.
kiss (v.): Old English cyssan "to kiss," from Proto-Germanic *kussijanan (cf. Old Saxon kussian, Old Norse kyssa, Old Frisian kessa, Middle Dutch cussen, Dutch, Old High German kussen, German küssen, Norwegian and Danish kysse, Swedish kyssa), from *kuss-, probably ultimately imitative of the sound. Related: Kissed; kissing. For vowel evolution, see bury. There appears to be no common Indo-European root word for "kiss," though suggestions of a common ku- sound may be found in the Germanic root and Greek kynein "to kiss," Hittite kuwash-anzi "they kiss," Sanskrit 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. Latin saviari "erotic kiss," vs. osculum, literally "little mouth"). French embrasser "kiss," but literally "embrace," came about in 17c. when the older word baiser (from Latin basiare) acquired an obscene connotation. Insulting invitation kiss my ass is at least from 1705, but probably much older (cf. "The Miller's Tale").
kiss (n.): Old English coss; see kiss (v.). It became Middle English cuss, but this yielded to kiss, from the verb. Kiss of death in figurative sense "thing that signifies impending failure" is from 1944 (Billboard, Oct. 21), ultimately in reference to Judas's kiss in Gethsemane (Matt. xxvi:48-50). The kiss of peace was, in Old English, sibbecoss (for first element, see sibling).
kissable (adj.): 1783, from kiss (v.) + -able. Related: Kissably; kissability.
kisser (n.): sang for "mouth," attested from 1860, agent noun from kiss (v.).
kist (n.): "chest," c.1300, from Old Norse kista "chest," from Latin cista (see chest).
kit (n.1): late 13c., "round wooden tub," perhaps from Middle Dutch kitte "jug, tankard, wooden container," of unknown origin. Meaning "collection of personal effects," especially for traveling (originally in reference to a soldier), is from 1785; that of "outfit of tools for a workman" is from 1851. Of drum sets, by 1929. Meaning "article to be assembled by the buyer" is from 1930s.
kit (n.2): "small fiddle used by dancing teachers," 1510s, probably a shortening of Old English cythere, from Latin cithara, from Greek kithara (see guitar).
kit and caboodle (n.): also kaboodle, 1861, from kit (n.1) in dismissive sense "number of things viewed as a whole" (1785) + boodle "lot, collection," perhaps from Dutch boedel "property." Kit also was paired with other words in similar formations.
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. Meaning "a size of portrait less than half length" (1754), supposedly is because the dining room in which portraits of club members hung was too low for half-length portraits.
kit-fox (n.): 1812, perhaps from a shortening of kitten, in reference to smallness.
kitab (n.): Islamic, "a book," especially the Quran or the Bible, 1885, from Arabic kitab "book," literally "a writing," from Aramaic kethabh "a writing."
kitch (n.): colloquial shortening of kitchen, attested by 1919. Sometimes also an erroneous spelling of kitsch.
kitchen (n.): c.1200, from Old English cycene, from West Germanic *kokina (cf. Middle Dutch cökene, Old High German chuhhina, German Küche, Danish kjøkken), probably borrowed from Vulgar Latin *cocina (cf. French cuisine, Spanish cocina), variant of Latin coquina "kitchen," from fem. of coquinus "of cooks," from coquus "cook," from coquere "to cook" (see cook (n.)).

The Old English word might be directly from Vulgar Latin. Kitchen cabinet "informal but powerful set of advisors" is American English slang, 1832, originally in reference to administration of President Andrew Jackson. Kitchen midden (1863) in archaeology translates Danish kjøkken mødding. Surname Kitchener ("one in charge of a monastic kitchen") is from early 14c.
kitchen sink (n.): attested by 1824. Phrase everything but (or and) the kitchen sink is 1944, from World War II armed forces slang, in reference to intense bombardment.
Out for blood, our Navy throws everything but the kitchen sink at Jap vessels, warships and transports alike. [Shell fuel advertisement, "Life," Jan. 24, 1944]
kitchenette (n.): 1905, American English, a hybrid from kitchen + -ette.
kite (n.): bird of prey (Milvus ictinus), Old English cyta "kind of hawk," probably imitative of its cries (cf. ciegan "to call," German Kauz "screech owl"). The toy kite first so-called 1660s, from its way of hovering in the air like a bird. The dismissive invitation to go fly a kite is attested by 1942, American English, probably tracing to the popular song of the same name (lyrics by Johnny Burke), sung by Bing Crosby in "The Star Maker" (1939):
Go fly a kite and tie your troubles to the tail
They'll be blown away by a merry gale,
Go fly a kite and toss your worries to the wind
And they won't come back, they'll be too chagrined.
kite (v.): "write a fictitious check," 1839, American English, from 1805 phrase fly a kite "raise money by issuing commercial paper on nonexistent funds;" see kite (n.). Related: Kited; kiting.
kith (n.): Old English cyðð "kinship, relationship; kinsfolk, fellow-countrymen, neighbors; native country, home; knowledge, acquaintance, familiarity," from cuð "known," past participle of cunnan "to know" (see can (v.)). Cognate with Old High German chundida. The alliterative phrase kith and kin (late 14c.) originally meant "country and kinsmen" and is almost the word's only survival.
kitsch (n.): 1926, from German kitsch, literally "gaudy, trash," from dialectal kitschen "to smear."
What we English people call ugliness in German art is simply the furious reaction against what Germans call süsses Kitsch, the art of the picture postcard, and of what corresponds to the royalty ballad. It has for years been their constant reproach against us that England is the great country of Kitsch. Many years ago a German who loved England only too well said to me, 'I like your English word plain; it is a word for which we have no equivalent in German, because all German women are plain.' He might well have balanced it by saying that English has no equivalent for the word Kitsch. [Edward J. Dent, "The Music of Arnold Schönberg," "The Living Age," July 9, 1921]
kitschy (adj.): 1965, from kitsch + -y (2). Related: Kitchiness.
kitten (n.): late 14c., probably from an Anglo-French variant of Old French chitoun (Old North French caton) "little cat," from chat "cat," from Late Latin cattus (see cat). Applied playfully to a young girl, a sweetheart, from 1870.
kittenish (adj.): 1754, from kitten + -ish. Related: Kittenishly; Kittenishness.
kitty (n.1): "young cat," 1719, variant of kitten, perhaps influenced by kitty "girl, young woman" (c.1500), originally a pet form of fem. proper name Catherine. Kitty Hawk, N.C., apparently is a mangling of a native Algonquian name; it also has been written as Chicahauk.
kitty (n.2): "pool of money in a card game," 1887, probably from kit (n.1), in a sense of "collection of necessary supplies" (1833); but perhaps rather from northern England slang kitty "prison, jail, lock-up" (1825), of uncertain origin.
Kiwanis: businessmen's and professionals' society, formed in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in 1915, the name is of obscure meaning.
kiwi (n.): type of flightless bird, 1835, from Maori kiwi, said to be of imitative origin. As slang for "a New Zealander," it is attested from 1918. The kiwi fruit (Actinia chinesis), was so called in U.S. from c.1966 when it was imported there, but it is known in New Zealand as Chinese gooseberry (1925).
KKK: 1868, abbreviation of ku klux klan.
Klan (n.): 1867, short for ku klux klan.
klatsch (n.): 1953, from German Klatsch "gossip," which is said in German sources to be imitative (cf. klatschen "clap hands," klatsch "a single clap of the hands"). Also cf. clap (v.), which in Middle English also had a sense of "talk noisily or too much, chatter" (late 14c.).
klaxon (n.): "loud warning horn," 1908, originally on automobiles, said to have been named for the company that sold them (The Klaxon Company; distributor for Lovell-McConnell Mfg. Co., Newark, N.J.), but probably the company was named for the horn, which bore a word likely based on Greek klazein "to roar," cognate with Latin clangere "to resound."
Kleagle (n.): title of an officer in the KKK, 1924, from Klan + eagle.
Kleenex (n.): 1925, proprietary name, registered by Cellucotton Products Company, Neenah, Wisconsin, U.S.; later Kimberly-Clark Corp. An arbitrary alteration of clean + brand-name suffix -ex.
klepto: 1914 (adj.); 1919 (n.); shortened form of kleptomanic.
kleptocracy (n.): "rule by a class of thieves," 1819, originally in reference to Spain; see kleptomania + -cracy.
kleptomania (n.): 1830, formed from mania + Greek kleptes "thief," from kleptein "to steal, act secretly," from PIE *klep- "to steal," an extention of root *kel- "to cover, conceal" (see cell; cf. Latin clepere "to steal, listen secretly to," Old Prussian au-klipts "hidden," Old Church Slavonic poklopu "cover, wrapping," Gothic hlifan "to steal," hliftus "thief"). Much-derided 19c. as a fancy term for old-fashioned thievery and an opportunity for the privileged to claim a psychological motive for criminal misbehavior.
There is a popular belief that some of the criminal laws under which the poor are rigorously punished are susceptible of remarkable elasticity when the peccadilloes of the rich are brought under judgment, and that there is some truth in the old adage which declares that "one man may steal a horse where another dare not look over the hedge." This unwholesome distrust is not likely to diminish if, in cases of criminal prosecutions where so-called respectable persons commit theft without sufficiently obvious motive for the act, they have their crime extenuated on the plea of kleptomania, as has recently occurred in several notable instances. ["Kleptomania," "The Lancet," Nov. 16, 1861]
kleptomaniac (n.): 1861; see kleptomania.
klezmer (n.): late 19c. (plural klezmorim); originally, "an itinerant East European Jewish professional musician," from Hebrew kley zemer, literally "vessels of song," thus "musical instruments."
klieg: kind of arc lamp used as a studio light, 1921, from Bavarian-born U.S. engineers brothers Anton and John Kliegl, who invented it.
Klondike: tributary of the Yukon River in northwestern Canada, from Kutchin (Athabaskan) throndiuk, said to mean "hammer-water" and to be a reference to the practice of driving stakes into the riverbed to support fish traps. Scene of a gold rush after 1896.
kludge: 1962, noun and verb, U.S. slang, fanciful coinage by U.S. author Jackson W. Granholm (b.1921). Related: Kludgy.
klutz (n.): 1967, American English, from Yiddish klots "clumsy person, blockhead," literally "block, lump," from Middle High German klotz "lump, ball." Cf. German klotz "boor, clod," literally "wooden block" (cf. clot).