<B>Kashmiri, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ri,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the Indic language of Kashmir. <DD><B> 2. </B>a native or inhabitant of Kashmir. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with Kashmir. </DL>
<A NAME="kashmirian">
<B>Kashmirian, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with Kashmir or its inhabitants. <DD><I>noun </I> a native or inhabitant of Kashmir. </DL>
<A NAME="kashmirshawl">
<B>Kashmir shawl,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a fine handwoven shawl woven in Kashmir. Also, <B>Cashmere shawl.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="kashruth">
<B>kashruth, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the Jewish dietary laws. <BR> <I>Ex. The Orthodox emphasize observance of kashruth.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the condition of being kosher. </DL>
<A NAME="kashub">
<B>Kashub, </B>noun, pl. <B>-shubs.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a member of a Slavic people living on the left bank of the lower Vistula River. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=Kashubian.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="kashubian">
<B>Kashubian, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the Slavic language of the Kashubs, closely related to Polish. </DL>
<A NAME="kaskaskia">
<B>Kaskaskia, </B>noun, pl. <B>-kia</B> or <B>-kias.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a member of a tribe of American Indians, once constituting a major part of the Illinois confederacy, who lived in southern Illinois. </DL>
<A NAME="kaspar">
<B>Kaspar, </B>noun. <B>=Gaspar.</B></DL>
<A NAME="kassite">
<B>Kassite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a member of a tribe of non-Semitic people which conquered and ruled Babylon from about 1600 to about 1100 B.C. and was later absorbed into the Babylonian population. <DD><B> 2. </B>the Elamite language of this tribe. </DL>
<A NAME="kat">
<B>kat, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a shrub of the staff-tree family native to Arabia and Africa. It is cultivated for its leaves that produce a mild narcotic effect when chewed or used in making tea. <DD><B> 2. </B>its leaf. <BR> <I>Ex. Thousands of people in Yemen chew kat.</I> <DD> Also, <B>khat,</B> <B>qat.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="katabasis">
<B>katabasis, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ses.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a military retreat, especially that of Cyrus the Younger and the Greeks who fought against Artaxerxes. <DD><B> 2. </B>the act or process of going down. </DL>
<A NAME="katabaticwind">
<B>katabatic wind,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a wind produced by the gravitational flowing of cold, dense air down the slopes of mountains, plateaus, or other elevations; fall wind. </DL>
<A NAME="katabolism">
<B>katabolism, </B>noun. <B>=catabolism.</B></DL>
<A NAME="katakana">
<B>katakana, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of the two styles of writing the Japanese syllabary of 46 or (formerly) 48 letters (the other being hiragana), consisting of square-shaped characters. </DL>
<A NAME="katamewaza">
<B>katamewaza, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a form of judo which emphasizes the techniques of pinning or locking an opponent's body. </DL>
<A NAME="katana">
<B>katana, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a Japanese sword that has a single edge and is slightly curved toward the point. </DL>
<B>Katangese, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-gese.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with Katanga, a mineral-rich province of Zaire (the former Belgian Congo), in the southeastern part. <DD><I>noun </I> a native or inhabitant of Katanga province. </DL>
<A NAME="katchina">
<B>katchina</B> or <B>katcina </B>noun. <B>=kachina.</B></DL>
<A NAME="katchup">
<B>katchup, </B>noun. <B>=ketchup.</B></DL>
<A NAME="kathakali">
<B>Kathakali, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a classic religious dance drama of India, performed only by men, in which special costumes and make-up identify each character, dance movements follow fixed patterns, and detailed hand gestures give particular meaning to each word. </DL>
<A NAME="katharevousa">
<B>katharevousa,</B> <B>katharevusa,</B> or <B>katharevoussa, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the literary form of the Greek language of the 1800's and until recently of official documents and modern scientific works. The difference between katharevousa and demotic, the spoken language of today, is largely in grammatical endings. </DL>
<B>katsura tree,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a hardy, shrublike tree of China and Japan, cultivated for ornament. </DL>
<A NAME="katydid">
<B>katydid, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various large, green grasshoppers with long antennae. The male makes a shrill noise like its name by rubbing its front wings together. </DL>
<A NAME="katzenjammer">
<B>katzenjammer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) <DD><B> 1. </B>headache, nausea, or other upset following drunkenness; a hangover. <BR> <I>Ex. Our katzenjammer is too severe to yield to aspirin (Harper's).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a caterwauling; uproar; clamor. <BR> <I>Ex. the katzenjammer of quarreling neighbors.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="kaukau">
<B>kaukau, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (in Hawaii) food. </DL>
<A NAME="kauri">
<B>kauri, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ris.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a tall evergreen of New Zealand that is the source of a valuable timber and a resin. <DD><B> 2. </B>the wood, used in shipbuilding and for houses and furniture. <DD><B> 3. </B>kauri resin. Also, <B>kaury.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="kauriresin">
<B>kauri resin,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the resin which exudes from the thick bark of the kauri, used in making varnish and as an amber substitute. </DL>
<A NAME="kaury">
<B>kaury, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B> <B>=kauri.</B></DL>
<A NAME="kava">
<B>kava, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>either of two shrubs of the pepper family, growing in Australia and the Pacific Islands, with a pungent, aromatic root from which an alcoholic beverage is prepared. <DD><B> 2. </B>the beverage. Also, <B>ava.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="kavakava">
<B>kavakava, </B>noun. <B>=kava.</B></DL>
<A NAME="kaw">
<B>Kaw, </B>noun. <B>=Kansa.</B></DL>
<A NAME="kawasakidisease">
<B>Kawasaki disease,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a disease of young children, characterized by acute fever, congested blood vessels, and skin rashes. <BR> <I>Ex. Kawasaki disease, ... whose cause remains unknown, usually affects children under the age of 5 (Jenny Tesar).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="kay">
<B>Kay, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> <B>Sir,</B> the rude, boastful foster brother of King Arthur in Arthurian legends. Sir Kay was a knight of the Round Table. </DL>
<A NAME="kayak">
<B>kayak, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an Eskimo canoe made of animal skins stretched over a light frame of wood or bone, with an opening in the middle for a person. <BR> <I>Ex. They and their women built kayaks and from them the men speared fish and harpooned seal and sea lions (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a similar craft of other material. <BR> <I>Ex. A single-bladed paddle is used with a canoe, double with a kayak; paddlers sit with their legs forward in kayaks, but kneel in canoes (New Yorker).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to paddle a kayak; travel in a kayak. Also, <B>kaiak,</B> <B>kyak.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="kayasth">
<B>Kayasth, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a member of one of the upper castes of India, consisting of scribes, clerks, and officials. </DL>
<A NAME="kayo">
<B>kayo, </B>verb, <B>-yoed,</B> <B>-yoing,</B> noun, pl. <B>-yos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Slang.) <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to hit so hard as to make helpless or unconscious; knock out. <DD><B> 2. </B>to put out of operation; diminish in effect. <DD><I>noun </I> (Boxing.) <B>=knockout.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="kazakh">
<B>Kazakh</B> or <B>Kazak, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a member of a Turkic people of Central Asia. <DD><B> 2. </B>the Turkic dialect of the Kazakhs. </DL>
<A NAME="kazatzka">
<B>kazatzka, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a Slavic folk dance performed by a couple. It includes a part in which the male partner dances in a squatting position. </DL>
<A NAME="kazi">
<B>kazi, </B>noun, pl. <B>-zis.</B> <B>=cadi.</B></DL>
<A NAME="kazoo">
<B>kazoo, </B>noun, pl. <B>-zoos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a toy musical instrument made of a tube sealed off at one end with a membrane, which produces a buzzing or vibration when the tube is hummed into. </DL>
<A NAME="kb">
<B>kb</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> kilobar. </DL>
<B>kcal.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> kilocalorie or kilocalories. </DL>
<A NAME="kcb">
<B>K.C.B.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Knight Commander of the Bath. </DL>
<A NAME="kcia">
<B>KCIA</B> (no periods) or <B>K.C.I.A.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Korean Central Intelligence Agency. </DL>
<A NAME="kcmg">
<B>K.C.M.G.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Knight Commander of Saint Michael and Saint George. </DL>
<A NAME="kcps">
<B>kcps</B> (no periods) or <B>kc.p.s.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> kilocycles per second. </DL>
<A NAME="kcs">
<B>kc/s</B> or <B>kcs</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> kilocycles per second. </DL>
<A NAME="kd">
<B>k.d.</B> or <B>K.D.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> knocked down (not assembled, especially in various combinations in commerce). <BR> <I>Ex. k.d.c.l. = knocked down, in carloads.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="kea">
<B>kea, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a large parrot of New Zealand, olive-green in color with red under its wings, having a powerful, hooked bill which it uses to dig out insects and root for food; mountain nestor. It occasionally kills sheep by tearing at their backs to eat the fat around the kidneys. </DL>
