English dictionary — definitions & meanings

ka

noun

In ancient Egyptian belief, the vital life-force or spiritual double thought to inhabit a person, existing alongside the body and soul.

kabaddi

noun

A South Asian contact sport in which a lone "raider" dashes into the opposing team's half, tries to tag defenders, and must get back to their own side — all while chanting to prove they haven't taken a breath.

Kabbalah

noun

A tradition of Jewish mystical teaching that interprets the Hebrew scriptures through hidden, symbolic meanings.

Kabir

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin meaning "great" or "powerful," also the name of a 15th-century Indian mystic poet.

kaboom

intj

Used to represent the sound of a sudden, loud explosion — often in a cartoonish or exaggerated way.

kabuki

noun

A traditional Japanese theatre style featuring male actors in elaborate costumes and makeup who perform highly stylised dances, songs, and dramatic gestures.

Kabul

name

The capital and largest city of Afghanistan.

kabuli

adj

Of, from or relating to the city of Kabul, capital of Afghanistan.

Kadir

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin meaning "capable" or "powerful."

Kaede

name

A Japanese given name, often used for both genders, meaning "maple."

kaffir

noun

In Islamic contexts, a non-Muslim.

kafir

noun

A disbeliever, a denier: someone who rejects or disbelieves in Allah or the tenets of Islam; or more broadly any non-Muslim.

Kafka

name

A Czech surname, most famously borne by the writer Franz Kafka, known for his surreal and unsettling fiction.

Kafkaesque

adjective

Describing a situation that is bewilderingly complicated, illogical, and dominated by faceless authority, so that the person caught up in it feels helpless.

kaftan

noun

A long tunic worn in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Kaga

name

A Japanese surname and place name, historically the name of a province in central Japan and later a Japanese aircraft carrier.

Kagami

name

A Japanese surname meaning "mirror."

Kagan

name

A surname of Turkic and Jewish origin, related to the title "khagan" and to the Hebrew "Cohen."

Kagawa

name

A Japanese surname and the name of a prefecture on the island of Shikoku.

kagome

noun

A woven lattice pattern made of interlaced strips, forming a repeating pattern of triangles and hexagons — often seen in Japanese basketry.

kahleesi

name

A female given name from fiction or popular culture, variant of Khaleesi

Kahn

name

A German and Jewish surname, a variant spelling of Kohn or Cohen, meaning "priest."

kahuna

noun

A priest, healer, or expert in traditional Hawaiian culture.

kai

noun

Food (used especially in New Zealand English).

kail

noun

Any cabbage, greens, or vegetables.

Kailash

name

A sacred mountain in Tibet, regarded as holy in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and the Bon tradition.

kaiping

name

A county-level city of Jiangmen, Guangdong, China.

Kaiser

noun

The historical title for the emperor of Germany or Austria, most famously Wilhelm II of Germany.

kaiso

noun

A style of music popular in the Caribbean, a precursor to calypso music.

kait

name

A diminutive of the female given name Kaitlyn.

Kaitlin

name

A feminine given name, a variant spelling of Caitlin, the Irish form of Katherine.

Kaitlyn

name

A feminine given name, a modern variant spelling of Caitlin, the Irish form of Katherine.

kaj

noun

In Armenian folklore, a spirit associated with storms and wind.

kajal

noun

A dark cosmetic powder, traditionally made from soot or minerals, used to line the eyes — the South Asian equivalent of kohl.

kaji

noun

In Georgian folklore, a grotesque, human-like spirit.

kajigger

noun

An unspecified object; thingamajig

kak

noun

Rubbish, nonsense, or something of poor quality (informal, chiefly British/South African slang).

kaka

noun

A forest-dwelling parrot native to New Zealand, known for its olive-brown feathers and loud, raspy call.

kakistocracy

noun

Government under the control of a nation's worst or least-qualified citizens.

Kala

name

A feminine given name used in several cultures, including a Hawaiian name and a Sanskrit-derived name meaning "time" or "black."

Kalahari

name

A vast semi-arid desert spanning much of Botswana and parts of Namibia and South Africa.

Kalashnikov

name

A rugged, widely produced Russian assault rifle, most famously the AK-47.

kale

noun

A leafy green vegetable related to cabbage, with curly or ruffled leaves that don't form a tight head.

Kaleb

name

A masculine given name, a variant spelling of Caleb, of Hebrew origin meaning "faithful" or "whole-hearted."

kaleesi

name

A female given name from fiction or popular culture, variant of Khaleesi

kaleidoscope

noun

A tube-shaped toy that uses mirrors and loose coloured pieces to create shifting, symmetrical patterns when you look through it and turn it.

kaleidoscopic

adj

Of, relating to, or produced by a kaleidoscope.

Kaley

name

A feminine given name, a modern variant related to Kayleigh or Kaylee.

kali

name

A major Hindu goddess associated with time, destruction, and the defeat of evil, often depicted with dark skin and a fierce expression.

kalif

noun

A rank in the Ku Klux Klan

Kalpana

name

A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "imagination" or "idea."

Kalyan

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "auspicious" or "beautiful," also a city in India.

Kalyani

name

A feminine given name of Sanskrit origin, meaning "auspicious" or "beautiful."

kam

adj

Crooked or bent out of true (dialectal/archaic).

kama

noun

A curved, sickle-shaped hand weapon, originally an Okinawan farming tool used for cutting crops before it became a martial-arts weapon.

Kamakura

name

A coastal city in Japan, once the seat of a historic military government and known for its ancient temples.

Kamal

noun

A male given name meaning "perfection" in Arabic.

kamala

noun

A small tree native to Asia and Australia whose fruit produces an orange-red dye and has traditional medicinal uses.

kamden

name

A male given name transferred from the surname.

Kamen

name

A surname of Slavic origin meaning "stone," also used as a given name in some cultures.

kameron

name

A male given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage, variant of Cameron.

kami

noun

A spirit or deity in the Shinto religion of Japan, believed to inhabit natural objects, places, or ancestors.

kamikaze

noun

A suicide attack, or the person who carries one out, especially by deliberately crashing an aircraft into a target.

Kaminsky

name

A Polish and Jewish surname, derived from place names containing "kamień," meaning "stone."

kamp

adj

A dated informal spelling of "camp," meaning gay or effeminate.

kampuchean

adj

Of or pertaining to Kampuchea (Cambodia).

kan

noun

A traditional Japanese unit of weight equal to roughly 3.75 kilograms (about 8.27 lb).

kana

noun

The two Japanese phonetic writing systems, hiragana and katakana, in which each symbol represents a spoken syllable rather than a whole word or idea.

Kanako

name

A feminine Japanese given name, often written with characters meaning "sweet fragrance child."

Kanan

name

A given name used in Hebrew and other traditions, sometimes associated with the biblical region of Canaan.

Kanazawa

name

A city on the western coast of Japan, known for its well-preserved samurai and geisha districts.

Kanda

name

A Japanese surname and the name of a district in Tokyo known for its secondhand bookshops.

Kandahar

name

A major city in southern Afghanistan, historically significant as a former capital and trade hub.

kane

noun

A word for a Polynesian or Māori man.

Kaneda

name

A Japanese surname, notably the name of the protagonist in the manga and film "Akira."

Kaneko

name

A Japanese surname, often written with characters meaning "gold child."

kang

noun

A traditional heated platform bed found in northern China, built from brick or clay and warmed from beneath.

kangaroo

noun

A large Australian marsupial with powerful hind legs built for hopping and a long, thick tail used for balance.

Kangaroos

noun

Nickname for the Australia national rugby league team.

kanji

noun

The system of writing Japanese using characters borrowed from Chinese, where each character can represent a whole word or concept.

kanna

noun

A succulent plant native to southern Africa, traditionally chewed or smoked for its mild mood-altering effects.

Kannada

noun

A Dravidian language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Karnataka, and the official language there.

Kannan

name

A masculine given name used in South India, a Tamil name for the Hindu god Krishna.

kano

noun

Filipino slang for an American man, or more broadly a Western foreigner.

Kansai

name

A region in western Japan that includes the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe.

Kant

name

A German surname, most famously borne by the philosopher Immanuel Kant, a central figure of modern philosophy.

Kanye

verb

Informal: to rudely interrupt someone, especially while they are speaking or being honoured.

Kanzaki

name

A Japanese surname, also the name of a town in Saga Prefecture.

Kao

name

A surname of Chinese origin, a romanization of a name meaning "tall" or "high."

kaolin

noun

A fine clay, rich in kaolinite, used in ceramics, papermaking, etc.

Kaori

name

A feminine Japanese given name meaning "fragrance."

Kaoru

name

A Japanese given name used for both genders, meaning "fragrance."

Kapil

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, associated with an ancient sage in Hindu tradition.

kapila

name

A Vedic rishi credited as the founder of the Samkhya school, and the son of Prajapati Kardama and Devahuti

Kaplan

name

A Jewish surname of German and Yiddish origin, derived from a word meaning "chaplain."

Kapoor

name

A surname common among Punjabi Hindus, borne by a prominent family of Indian film actors.

kappa

noun

The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Κ, κ).

kaput

adj

Broken, ruined, or no longer working.

kara

noun

A plain steel or iron bangle worn by Sikhs as one of the five articles of faith, serving as a reminder to act rightly.

Karachi

name

The largest city in Pakistan and its principal seaport, located on the Arabian Sea.

Karan

name

A masculine given name of Sanskrit origin, borne by a warrior hero in the Hindu epic the Mahabharata.

karaoke

noun

A form of entertainment, popular at bars and parties, where people take turns singing along to recorded backing tracks while the lyrics scroll on a screen.

karate

noun

A striking-based martial art, originally from Okinawa, built around punches, kicks, and open-hand strikes, along with some throws and grappling.

karcist

noun

A person who practises magic; a sorcerer or magician.

Kardashian

noun

A surname of Armenian origin, widely recognized through the celebrity family of that name.

Kareem

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "generous" or "noble."

Karel

noun

A native or inhabitant of Karelia, a region straddling the border of Russia and Finland.

Karen

noun

A slang term, often used mockingly, for an entitled woman — typically a middle-aged white woman — who makes unreasonable demands or complains disproportionately, often targeting people with less social power than her.

Kari

name

A given name used in Scandinavian countries for men and, in English-speaking countries, as a feminine variant of Carrie.

Karim

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "generous" or "noble."

Karin

name

A feminine given name common in Scandinavian and German-speaking countries, a variant of Katherine.

Karina

name

A feminine given name, a variant of Katherine used in Slavic and Scandinavian languages.

Karine

name

A feminine given name, a French and Scandinavian variant of Katherine.

Karl

name

A male given name of Germanic origin, the same name as English Charles.

Karla

name

A female given name, the feminine form of Karl.

karlee

name

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

karleigh

name

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

karley

name

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

karli

name

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

karlie

name

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

Karloff

name

A surname, most famously associated with the actor Boris Karloff.

Karlsson

name

A Swedish surname meaning "son of Karl."

karly

name

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

karma

noun

In Hindu and Buddhist thought, the total effect of a person's actions, believed to shape their fate in this life or the next.

karmic

adjective

Relating to karma, or to the idea that actions have consequences that return to the person who caused them.

Karna

name

In Hindu mythology, a great warrior in the epic Mahabharata, born to Kunti and the sun god Surya, who fights on the side of the Kauravas.

Karnak

noun

A vast temple complex in Egypt, built on the site of the ancient city of Thebes.

Karnataka

noun

A state in southern India, whose capital and largest city is Bengaluru.

Karp

name

A surname of German, Polish, Russian, or Jewish origin.

Karr

name

A surname.

Kasey

name

A given name, used for both men and women, a variant spelling of Casey.

Kash

name

A modern male given name.

kasher

verb

To render kosher.

Kashi

name

An alternate name for the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang, China, based on its Mandarin name.

Kashiwagi

name

A Japanese surname.

Kashmir

noun

A mountainous region in South Asia, long disputed between India, Pakistan, and China, prized for its valleys and, historically, fine wool.

kashrut

noun

The Jewish dietary laws, stating which foods are fit to eat.

Kasim

name

A male given name.

Kass

name

A surname.

kassandra

name

A female given name from Ancient Greek, a rare spelling variant (or alternate transliteration) of Cassandra.

Kasumi

name

A Japanese female given name.

kat

noun

An ancient Egyptian unit of weight equal to one-fiftieth of an avoirdupois pound.

kata

noun

A set sequence of movements and stances practised in martial arts to build technique and muscle memory.

katagelasticism

noun

Obtaining pleasure from laughing at or mocking others.

Katagiri

name

A Japanese surname.

katakana

noun

A Japanese syllabary used when writing words borrowed from foreign languages other than Chinese, specific names of plants and animals and other jargon, onomatopoeia, or to emphasize a word or phrase. Also used to write the Ainu language.

katana

noun

A traditional Japanese sword with a single curved edge, historically carried by samurai.

katara

noun

A South Asian push dagger with a distinctive H-shaped handle, gripped across the fist rather than held like a typical knife.

Kate

name

A short, familiar form of Katherine, also used as a full given name in its own right.

katelyn

name

A female given name from Irish, variant of Caitlin.