kite

The word “kite” means a bird of prey with long wings and a forked tail, known for gliding and soaring. In plain terms, either the soaring bird of prey, the wind-flown toy named after it, or (as a verb) writing a bad cheque or causing something to shoot upward.

“Kite” is pronounced kyt (/kaɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “kite” used in a sentence: “A red kite circled slowly above the valley.”

Depending on how it is used, “kite” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “kite” comes from Old English. From Old English cyta, the name for the bird itself. The toy sense came later, named after the bird because a flying kite hovers and glides through the air in a similar way.

“Kite” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Kite” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a bird of prey with long wings and a forked tail, known for gliding and soaring.

To "kite" a cheque means writing or using it against an account that doesn't have enough money to cover it, often as part of a deliberate scheme to exploit the delay before it clears. "Bouncing" a cheque more generally just means it was returned unpaid, without implying the same intentional manipulation.

When prices or costs "kite," it means they are rising or increasing rapidly, similar to how a kite quickly climbs upward in the wind.

A kite is a bird of prey with long wings and a forked tail, known for gliding and soaring rather than fast, direct pursuit. Hawks generally have broader wings and hunt more actively by diving on prey, giving the two birds noticeably different flight styles.