KAMSIN. See KHAMSIN.
KANA, ka'na, _n._ Japanese writing, as distinguished from Japanese written in Chinese characters.
KANAKA, ka-nak'a, _n._ a Hawaiian or Sandwich Islander: one of the native labourers brought from the Pacific islands, on engagement for a certain fixed number of years, to Australia, &c. [Hawaiian, 'a man.']
KANEH, ka'ne, _n._ a Hebrew measure of 6 cubits length.--Also C[=A]'NEH.
KANG, kang, _n._ a large Chinese water-jar: an oven-like brick structure in northern China, for sleeping on at night, a fire being lighted underneath.
KANGAROO, kang-gar-[=oo]', _n._ a large marsupial mammal of Australia, with very long hind-legs and great power of leaping.--_n._ KANGAROO'-GRASS, a valuable Australian fodder grass.
KANS, kanz, _n._ a common Indian grass, allied to the sugar-cane.
KANTEN, kan'ten, _n._ a gelatinous substance extracted from seaweeds, used for soups and for sizing. [Jap.]
KANTIAN, kan'shi-an, _adj._ pertaining to the doctrines of, or belonging to, the great German philosopher, Immanuel _Kant_ (1724-1804).--_ns._ KAN'TIANISM, KANT'ISM, the doctrines or philosophy of Kant; KANT'IST, a disciple or follower of Kant.
KANTIKOY, CANTICOY, kan'ti-koi, _n._ a religious dance among American Indians, a dancing-match.--_v.i._ to dance as an act of worship.
KANUCK, ka-nuk', _n._ (_U.S._) a Canadian.--Also CANUCK'. [Ind.]
KAOLIN, ka'o-lin, _n._ same as CHINA CLAY. [From the mountain _Kao-ling_ ('high ridge') in China.]
KAPELLMEISTER, ka-pel'm[=i]s-ter, _n._ the director of an orchestra or choir, esp. the band of a ruling prince in Germany. [Ger. _kapelle_, chapel, orchestra, _meister_, master.]
KAPNOGRAPHY, kap-nog'ra-fi, _n._ the art of producing decorative designs on a smoked surface with a fine point, shading by successive deposits of carbon from a flame, fixed by varnish.--_adj._ KAPNOGRAPH'IC. [Gr.
_kapnos_, smoke, _graphia_--_graphein_, to write.]
KAPOK, ka-pok', _n._ a cottony or silky fibre covering the seeds of a species of silk-cotton tree, used for stuffing pillows, &c.
KARAITE, k[=a]'ra-[=i]t, _n._ one of a stricter sect of Jews who cling to the literal interpretation of Scripture as against oral tradition. [Heb.
_kara[=i]m_, readers.]
KARMA, kar'ma, _n._ the Buddhist conception of the quality of actions, including both merit and demerit, determining the future condition of all sentient beings by a sort of virtue inherent in the nature of things--by the blind and unconscious but inevitable concatenation of cause and effect: the theory of inevitable consequence generally: the result of the actions of a life.--_adj._ KAR'MIC. [Sans. _karma_, work.]
KARMATHIAN, kar-m[=a]'thi-an, _n._ a member of a pantheistic socialistic Mohammedan sect which arose in Turkey about the close of the 9th century.
[_Karmat_, its founder.]
KAROB, kar'ob, _n._ among goldsmiths, the twenty-fourth part of a grain.
KARROO, ka-r[=oo]', _n._ a generic name given to the high barren plains of Cape Colony.--Also KAROO'. [Hottentot, _karusa_, hard.]
KASSU, kas'[=oo], _n._ a kind of catechu made from the fruit of the betel-nut palm.
KAT, kat, _n._ the chief ancient Egyptian unit of weight, 1/50 lb.
avoirdupois.
KATABOLISM, kat-ab'ol-izm, _n._ (_biol._) the discharging or disruptive process to which protoplasm is constantly subject--the opposite of _Anabolism_, the up-building, constructive process.--Also CATAB'OLISM. [Gr.
_katabol[=e]_, _kataballein_, to throw down.]
KATAKANA, kat-a-ka'na, _n._ one of the two styles of writing the syllabary of 48 letters in use among the Japanese (the other being _Hiragana_), used chiefly for proper names and foreign words.
KATYDID, k[=a]-ti-did', _n._ an American insect akin to the grasshopper.
[Imit. of its note.]
KAURI-PINE, kow'ri-p[=i]n, _n._ a splendid forest-tree of New Zealand, yielding the well-known KAU'RI-GUM, a resin used in making varnish.
KAVA, ka'va, _n._ _Piper methysticum_, also the narcotic drink prepared from it.--Also A'VA.
KAVASS, ka-vas', _n._ an armed man attendant on a person of distinction in Turkey.--Also CAVASS'. [Turk. _qawas_.]
KAW. Same as CAW.
KAY. Same as CAY.
KAYAK, ka'yak, _n._ a canoe used in Greenland, made of seal-skins stretched on a frame.
KEA, k[=e]'a, _n._ a New Zealand parrot that kills sheep.
KEB, keb, _v.i._ (_Scot._) to cast a lamb prematurely.--_n._ a ewe which has cast its lamb: a sheep louse or tick.
KEBBIE, keb'i, _n._ (_Scot._) a cudgel.
KEBBOCK, keb'uk. _n._ (_Scot._) a cheese.--Also KEBB'UCK. [Gael. _cabag_, a cheese.]
KEBLAH. See KIBLAH.
KECK, kek, _v.i._ to retch, feel loathing.--_n._ a retching.
KECK, KECKSY. See KEX.
KECKLE, kek'l, _v.t._ to preserve or protect by binding with old rope or chains, as a cable:--_pr.p._ keck'ling; _pa.p._ keck'led.--_n._ KECK'LING, rope, chains, &c. used to keckle cables or hawsers.
KEDGE, kej, _n._ a small anchor for keeping a ship steady, and for warping the ship.--_v.t._ to move by means of a kedge, to warp.--_n._ KEDG'ER, a kedge. [Scand.; cf. Sw. prov. _keka_, to drive slowly.]
KEDGE, kej, _adj._ (_prov._) brisk, lively: pot-bellied.--Also KEDG'Y, KIDGE.
KEDJEREE, kej'e-r[=e], _n._ a mess of rice, cooked with butter and the dholl pea, flavoured with spice, shred onion, &c., common all over India, and often served at Anglo-Indian breakfast-tables. [Hind. _khichr[=i]_.]
KEECH, k[=e]ch, _n._ (_Shak._) a lump of fat. [_Cake_.]
KEEK, k[=e]k, _v.i._ (_Scot._) to peep.--_n._ a peep.--_ns._ KEEK'ER, an inspector of mining; KEEK'ING-GLASS, a mirror. [M. E. _kyken_; cf. Dut.
_kijken_, Ger. _kucken_.]
KEEL, k[=e]l, _n._ the part of a ship extending along the bottom from stem to stern, and supporting the whole frame: a low flat-bottomed boat: a Tyne coal-barge: a ship generally: (_bot._) the lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower.--_v.t._ or _v.i._ to plough with a keel, to navigate: to turn keel upwards.--_n._ KEEL'AGE, dues for a keel or ship in port.--_adj._ KEELED (_bot._) keel-shaped: having a prominence on the back.--_ns._ KEEL'ER, KEEL'MAN, one who works on a barge.--_v.t._ KEEL'HAUL, to punish by hauling under the keel of a ship by ropes from the one side to the other: to treat a subordinate in a galling manner. [A.S.
_ceol_, a ship; Ger. and Dut. _kiel_; prob. confused with Ice. _kiolr_, a keel.]
KEEL, k[=e]l, _v.t._ (_Shak._) to cool. [A.S. _celan_, to chill.]