k

Noun · Adjective

US[key]/keɪ/1 syllable

Synonyms: kelvin potassium atomic number 19 thousand one thousand 1000 M chiliad G grand thou yard

Open English WordNet

Noun (8)ks

the basic unit of thermodynamic temperature adopted under the Systeme International d'UnitesSynonyms: kelvinType of temperature unit
a light soft silver-white metallic element of the alkali metal group; oxidizes rapidly in air and reacts violently with water; is abundant in nature in combined forms occurring in sea water and in carnallite and kainite and sylviteSynonyms: potassium atomic number 19Type of metallic element, metalSubstance of carnallite, kainite, langbeinite, seawater +1 more
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100Synonyms: thousand one thousand 1000 M chiliad G grand thou yardType of large integerKinds millenary
a unit of information equal to 1000 bytesSynonyms: kilobyte KB kBType of computer memory unitPart of megabyte, M
a unit of information equal to 1024 bytesSynonyms: kilobyte kibibyte KB kB KiBType of computer memory unitPart of megabyte, mebibyteParts word
the 11th letter of the Roman alphabetType of letter, letter of the alphabetMember of Roman alphabet, Latin alphabet
street names for ketamineSynonyms: jet super acid special K honey oil green cat valium super C
the 11th letter of the Roman alphabet

Adjective (1)

denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000 items or unitsSynonyms: thousand one thousand 1000 mOpposite ordinalSimilar cardinal

Word of the day · Oct 22About this word

burgeonverb

What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz

Webster's Dictionary (1913)

K, (kā),

the eleventh letter of the English alphabet, is nonvocal consonant. The form and sound of the letter K are from the Latin, which used the letter but little except in the early period of the language. It came into the Latin from the Greek, which received it from a Phœnician source, the ultimate origin probably being Egyptian. Etymologically K is most nearly related to c, g, h (which see).

In many words of one syllable k is used after c, as in crack, check, deck, being necessary to exhibit a correct pronunciation in the derivatives, cracked, checked, decked, cracking; since without it, c, before the vowels e and i, would be sounded like s. Formerly, k was added to c in certain words of Latin origin, as in musick, publick, republick; but now it is omitted.

See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 240, 178, 179, 185.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing

<unit> kilo-, a kilobyte. Used both as a spoken word and a written suffix, like meg and gig for megabyte and gigabyte.

See prefix. [Jargon File]

(1995-09-29)

The Jargon File

K /K/, n.

[from kilo-] A kilobyte. Used both as a spoken word and a written suffix (like meg and gig for megabyte and gigabyte). See quantifiers.

The Devil's Dictionary

K is a consonant that we get from the Greeks, but it can be traced away back beyond them to the Cerathians, a small commercial nation inhabiting the peninsula of Smero. In their tongue it was called _Klatch_, which means "destroyed." The form of the letter was originally precisely that of our H, but the erudite Dr. Snedeker explains that it was altered to its present shape to commemorate the destruction of the great temple of Jarute by an earthquake, _circa_ 730 B.C. This building was famous for the two lofty columns of its portico, one of which was broken in half by the catastrophe, the other remaining intact. As the earlier form of the letter is supposed to have been suggested by these pillars, so, it is thought by the great antiquary, its later was adopted as a simple and natural -- not to say touching -- means of keeping the calamity ever in the national memory. It is not known if the name of the letter was altered as an additional mnemonic, or if the name was always _Klatch_ and the destruction one of nature's puns. As each theory seems probable enough, I see no objection to believing both -- and Dr. Snedeker arrayed himself on that side of the question.