English dictionary — definitions & meanings

Katerina

name

A female given name, a form of Katherine used in several European languages.

Katey

name

A short form of Katherine, a variant spelling of Katie.

Kath

name

A short, informal form of the female names Katherine or Kathleen.

Katharine

name

A female given name, a variant spelling of Catherine.

katharsis

noun

Archaic spelling of catharsis.

Katherine

name

A popular spelling variant of the female given name Catherine.

Kathie

name

A spelling variant of the name Kathy.

Kathleen

name

A female given name of Irish origin, an anglicized form of Caitlín.

Kathmandu

name

The capital and largest city of Nepal.

Kathryn

name

A female given name, a variant spelling of Catherine.

Kathy

name

A short form of Katherine or Kathleen, also used as a formal given name in its own right.

Kati

name

An uncommon modern spelling of Katie, itself a diminutive of Katherine.

Katia

name

A female given name of Russian origin, a variant of Katya.

katie

name

A diminutive of the female given name Catherine or any of its variant spellings.

katniss

noun

Any of several perennial water plants of the genus Sagittaria, which have arrowhead-shaped leaves and edible tubers.

Kato

noun

A Native American people originally from northern California, or their language.

Katrina

name

A female given name, a variant of Catherine.

Katrine

name

A female given name of Danish origin, occasionally used in English, related to Catherine.

katsu

noun

A Japanese dish of meat or another food coated in panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried.

katsudon

noun

A Japanese dish of rice topped with a deep-fried pork cutlet, egg, vegetables, and condiments.

katsura

noun

A deciduous tree native to Japan and China, prized for its heart-shaped leaves that turn caramel-scented in autumn.

Katsuragi

name

A city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

katty

name

A female given name, diminutive of Katherine and of its variant forms.

Katy

name

A diminutive of Katherine, a variant of Katie.

Katya

name

A female given name of Russian or Ukrainian origin, roughly equivalent to Kate.

Katz

name

A surname, common among Ashkenazi Jewish families and also found among non-Jewish Germans.

katzenjammer

noun

Jitters; discord; confusion.

Kau

name

A surname.

Kauai

name

The oldest and fourth-largest of the main Hawaiian Islands, nicknamed the Garden Isle.

Kaufman

name

A surname of German and Ashkenazi Jewish origin, an anglicized form of the German Kaufmann, meaning "merchant."

Kaul

name

A surname of Kashmiri origin.

Kaur

name

A surname or middle name traditionally taken by Sikh women, meaning "princess."

Kavanaugh

name

A surname of Irish origin, a variant of Kavanagh.

Kaveri

name

A major river flowing through the Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

kavya

noun

An ornate, highly stylized form of classical Sanskrit poetry favored by court poets in ancient India.

Kawahara

name

A Japanese surname meaning roughly "riverbed" or "river plain."

Kawai

name

A Japanese surname.

kawaiiness

noun

The quality of being kawaii; cuteness.

Kawamura

name

A Japanese surname.

Kawashima

name

A Japanese surname meaning "river island."

kay

noun

The name of the letter K.

kaya

noun

A sweet, fragrant jam made from coconut milk, eggs, and sugar, popular across Southeast Asia.

kayak

noun

A narrow, covered boat propelled with a double-bladed paddle, originally designed to be entered through a hole on top.

kayaking

noun

The sport or activity of paddling a kayak, whether for recreation, racing, or performing tricks.

Kaye

name

A surname, a spelling variant of Kay.

Kayla

name

A modern female given name.

Kaylee

name

A female given name that became popular toward the end of the 20th century.

kayleigh

name

A female given name transferred from the surname, variant of Kaylee.

Kaylie

name

A female given name, a variant spelling of Kaylee.

kayo

noun

A knockout blow in boxing.

Kaz

name

A male given name, used as a short form of Japanese names beginning with Kazu-.

Kazakhstan

name

A large country spanning Central Asia and part of Eastern Europe, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan.

kazan

noun

A large cauldron or cooking pot traditionally used in Central Asian cooking.

kazoo

noun

A small toy instrument you hum into, producing a buzzy, comic sound rather than a musical tone from breath alone.

Kazuki

name

A Japanese given name used for both men and women.

Kazuko

name

A Japanese female given name.

Kazumi

name

A Japanese given name used for both men and women.

Kazuo

name

A Japanese male given name.

KC

noun

In Unicode text processing, a normalization form combining compatibility decomposition with canonical composition (abbreviated NFKC).

Ke

name

A Chinese surname.

keagan

name

A surname from Irish.

kealy

name

A surname from Irish.

Kean

name

A surname.

Keane

name

An Irish surname.

Keanu

name

A male given name of Hawaiian origin.

keara

name

A female given name from Irish, variant of Keira.

Kearney

name

An Irish surname, also used as a given name.

Kearns

name

An Irish surname.

kearny

name

Multiple United States place names:

Keating

name

A surname of Irish origin.

Keaton

name

An English surname, also used as a male given name.

Keats

name

A surname, most famously that of the Romantic poet John Keats.

kebab

noun

Meat, fish, or vegetables cooked on a skewer or spit, including the sliced-off-a-spit "doner" style sold in flatbread.

keck

verb

To retch or heave as if about to vomit.

Kee

name

A surname, sometimes a shortened form of McKee or an anglicization of Chinese surnames.

Keefer

name

A surname.

Keegan

name

An Irish surname, also used as a unisex given name.

keel

noun

The main structural beam running along the bottom of a ship's hull, from front to back.

keeled

adj

Having a keel, or a keel-like ridge.

keeler

noun

Someone who works on a barge, or specifically on a keel — a type of coal boat once used on the River Tyne.

Keeley

name

A feminine given name, an Anglicized spelling of the Irish name Caoilfhionn, meaning "slender and fair."

keelhaul

verb

To punish by dragging under the keel of a ship with the intent of causing painful injuries.

keelman

noun

A keeler; one who manages or works on a coal boat.

keely

name

A surname from Irish.

keen

adj

Eager and enthusiastic about something.

Keenan

name

A masculine given name and surname of Irish origin, from a Gaelic word meaning "ancient" or "little ancient one."

Keene

name

An English surname meaning "bold" or "wise," also the name of a city in New Hampshire.

keener

noun

A person who wails in mourning at a funeral.

keenly

adv

In a sharp, eager, or intense way.

keenness

noun

sharpness or cutting ability

keep

verb

To hold on to something or continue having it, rather than giving it up or losing it.

keeper

noun

Someone or something worth holding on to.

Keepers

name

An English surname, an occupational name for a guardian or custodian.

keeping

noun

Agreement or harmony, especially in the phrase "in keeping with".

keeps

noun

Used only in the fixed phrase "for keeps," meaning permanently or with lasting seriousness.

keepsake

noun

An object kept to remember a person or event, valued for sentimental rather than practical reasons.

Kees

name

A masculine given name common in the Netherlands, a Dutch short form of Cornelius.

keg

noun

A small barrel-shaped container, usually round and made of wood or metal, used to hold liquids such as beer.

kegful

noun

As much as a keg will hold.

kegger

noun

A casual party centred around a keg of beer.

kegs

noun

Trousers, especially wide-legged ones (informal, chiefly Australian/New Zealand slang).

kei

noun

A class of small, lightweight Japanese cars and vans with small engines, built to fit strict size and power limits.

Keiko

name

A feminine Japanese given name, often meaning "blessed child."

keikogi

noun

A set of uniform worn while training in some Japanese martial arts

Keira

name

A feminine given name, an Irish variant of Ciara, meaning "dark" or "black."

Keisha

name

A feminine given name popular in African American communities, likely a modern coinage combining "Kei" with the suffix "-isha."

keister

noun

A person's buttocks (informal).

Keith

name

A masculine given name of Scottish Gaelic origin, originally a surname referring to a place or meaning "wood" or "forest."

Kel

name

A short form of names such as Kelly or Kelvin, used as a given name or nickname.

kell

noun

A thin membrane, especially the caul that sometimes covers a newborn's head, or a similar filmy covering (dialectal/archaic).

Keller

noun

A cellar used for storing or serving beer, especially in Germany or Austria.

Kellerman

name

A German and Jewish surname, likely an occupational name related to cellar work or wine-making.

Kelley

name

An Irish surname, a variant spelling of Kelly, derived from a Gaelic word meaning "bright-headed" or "war."

Kelli

name

A feminine given name, a variant spelling of Kelly.

Kellogg

name

An English surname, historically an occupational name for someone who killed hogs for market; also the name of the cereal company founded by W. K. Kellogg.

Kelly

noun

A common given name and surname of Irish origin, used for both men and women.

kelp

noun

Any of several large brown seaweeds that grow in dense underwater forests along rocky coastlines.

Kelso

name

A surname and place name, originally from a town in the Scottish Borders.

Kelton

name

A masculine given name and surname of English origin, meaning "keel town," referring to a settlement near shipbuilding.

kelvin

noun

The base unit of temperature in the metric system, used mainly in science, where zero kelvin is absolute zero.

Kemal

name

A masculine given name of Turkish and Arabic origin, meaning "perfection" or "maturity."

kemp

noun

Coarse, bristly hair or fiber, especially in wool, that will not felt or dye properly (archaic/technical).

Kemper

noun

One who competes or struggles for superiority; a champion or fighter (archaic).

kempt

adj

Of a person's beard or hair: combed.

ken

verb

To know or understand something (chiefly Scottish and Northern English dialect).

Kenan

name

A masculine given name of Turkish and Hebrew origin, related to the biblical name Canaan.

Kendal

name

An English surname and place name, originally referring to a market town in Cumbria; also used as a given name.

Kendall

name

A given name and surname of English origin, from the same place name as Kendal, meaning "valley of the river Kent."

kendo

noun

A Japanese martial art in which practitioners fight with bamboo swords while wearing protective armor.

Kendra

noun

A female given name coined in the mid-20th century, likely blending "Kenneth" and "Sandra."

kenedy

name

A city in Karnes County, Texas, United States.

keng

verb

To fake illness or invent an excuse to dodge duty, work, or (originally) military service.

Kenichi

name

A masculine Japanese given name, often meaning "first son" or "strong first."

Kenji

name

A masculine Japanese given name, often meaning "intelligent second son."

Kenna

name

A feminine given name, a short form of Mackenna or McKenna, of Irish surname origin.

Kennedy

name

An Irish surname meaning "ugly head" or "helmeted head," famously borne by U.S. President John F. Kennedy; also used as a given name.

kennel

noun

A small shelter for a dog, or a facility where dogs are bred, boarded, or trained.

kenner

noun

A person who knows or understands something well; one with real insight or expertise.

Kenneth

name

A male given name of Scottish Gaelic origin, popular throughout the English-speaking world in the 20th century.

kenning

noun

Sight, view; specifically a distant view at sea.

Kenny

name

A masculine given name, typically a diminutive of Kenneth.

keno

noun

A lottery-style gambling game in which players bet on numbers that are then drawn at random.

Kensington

noun

A gathering of women who sew or do needlework together socially, often while chatting.

Kent

noun

A long pole used to push a boat along, especially in shallow water.

Kenta

name

A masculine Japanese given name, often meaning "healthy and big."

Kenton

name

An English surname and place name, also used as a given name, meaning "royal settlement" or "town of the king."

Kenya

name

A country in East Africa, known for its wildlife and coastline on the Indian Ocean; also used as a feminine given name.

Kenyan

adj

Relating to Kenya or its people.

Kenyon

name

A Welsh surname and place name, also used as a given name, from a place meaning "white mound."

Kenzi

name

A feminine given name, a variant spelling of Kenzie or McKenzie.