The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (43 page)

kimono (k2mono) JAPANESE [clothes,
from ki wearing and mono thing]
noun a long robe with a broad sash
and wide sleeves, the traditional Japanese dress, or more generally any
loose-fitting dressing gown or robe
in a vaguely Japanese style: "Mrs. Dyer
was superfeminine in the kimono in which
she received Carol. Her skin was fine, pale,
soft, suggesting a weak voluptuousness"
(Sinclair Lewis, Main Street, 1920).

kinder, kirche, kiiche (kinder kerka
kooka, kinder kercha koocha) GERMAN [children, church, cooking]
noun phrase the domestic concerns
of motherhood, religious duty, and
household responsibilities that are the
traditional domain of German womanhood, as fostered by the Nazi regime
in the 1930s but now considered outdated: "Certain women were vilified for
putting hedonistic pursuits before kinder,
kirche, kUche."

kindergarten (kindagahrtan) GERMAN [children's garden, from Kinder
children and Garten garden] noun a
nursery school or class for children
of preschool age: "The foreign words
in these two letters, the first of which was
written during a visit to the kindergarten
for the blind, she had been told months
before, and had stowed them away in her
memory" (Helen Keller, Story of My
Life, 1903). 'adjective of or relating
to schools or classes for children of
pre-school age.

kinesis (kaneesis, kineesis) GREEK
[movement] noun movement or
motion, the undirected movement of
an organism as a response to an external stimulus.

kinetic (kinetik, kinetik) GREEK [from
kinein to move] adjective of or relating to the motion of physical bodies
and the forces involved; can also refer
to anything that has its own natural,
precipitate forward motion: "He studied the kinetic energy of moving water."

kiosk (keeosk) TURKISH [from kiushk
pavilion, ultimately from Persian kushk
portico] noun a small stall, booth,
pavilion, or other modest structure,
usually with open sides and typically
used for selling merchandise to the
public or to provide shelter for public telephones: "Sometimes about the
painted kiosk / The mimic soldiers strut
and stride, / Sometimes the blue-eyed
brigands hide / In the bleak tangles of the
bosk"(Oscar Wilde, Charmides and Other
Poems, 1913).

kir (keeer) FRENCH [named after
Canon Felix Kir, who devised the
recipe] noun an alcoholic drink comprising white wine and cassis: "They
offered the doctor a small glass of kir,
which he accepted with a smile."

kirsch (keersh) GERMAN [from Kirsche
cherry and Wasser water] noun a dry
brandy made in Germany and Swit zerland from the fermented juice of
the black morello cherry: "He wanted
to joke about it, but she swept off, looking
like a queen. Clarisse, who had propped
herself against a wall in order to drink a
quiet glass of kirsch, was seen to shrug her
shoulders" (Emile Zola, Nana, 1880).

kismet (kizmet, kizmit, kizmit)
TURKISH [from Arabic qismah portion,
lot] noun fate, fortune, destiny: "It's
predestined on the face of it. Yes, tell him
it's Kismet. Kismet, mallum? (Fate! Do you
understand?)" (Rudyard Kipling, Kim,
1901).

kithara (kithara) GREEK noun an
ancient Greek and Roman stringed
instrument resembling a lyre with a
box-shaped body.

kitsch (kich) GERMAN [trash] noun
something that appeals to popular,
often sentimental, taste but is generally regarded as lacking any real
artistic merit or taste. -adjective of or
relating to something that appeals to
popular taste while lacking any real
artistic merit or taste: "The woman's
room was full of kitsch ornaments and
knickknacks from her summer vacations."

kiwi (kccwce) MAORI noun a flightless bird of New Zealand; also, the
national symbol of the country and by
extension a nickname for anyone from
New Zealand: "The Kiwis fly in next week
for a rugby tour of three countries."Also, a fruit with a brownish hairy skin, sweet
green flesh, and black seeds.

kleptomania (kleptomarnya, klcptayn),a) GREEK [madness of a thief,
from kleptes thief and mania mania]
noun a compulsion to steal, regardless of economic benefit or of the risk
involved: ". . . just as when a youthful
nobleman steals jewellery we call the act
kleptomania, speak of it with a philosophical smile, and never think of his being sent to
the house of correction as if he were a ragged
boy who had stolen turnips."(George Eliot,
Middlemarch, 1871-72).

klutz (klots) YIDDISH [from klots
wooden beam, from Middle High
German kloz lumpy mass] noun an
oaf, fool, or clumsy person: "`The man
is a klutz,' Levi observed with a shrug. 'A
big disappointment to his mother."'

knackwurst (nokwerst, nokverst)
GERMAN [from knacken to crackle and
Wurst wurst] a variety of German
seasoned sausage: "He ordered a plate
of knackwurst and rye bread to accompany
the tankard of golden beer."

knapsack (npsak) GERMAN [from
German and Danish knappen to make
a snapping sound, to eat and sack sack]
noun a bag used to carry personal
belongings, clothing, or supplies on
the back: "The moment he read it, he
packed his knapsack, bade adieu to his
fellow pedestrians, and was off to keep his promise, with a heart full of joy and
sorrow, hope and suspense" (Louisa May
Alcott, Little Women, 1868-69).

Knesset (kanesit, nesit) HEBREW [gathering] noun the parliament of Israel:
"There was uproar in the Knesset when the
announcement was made."

knout (nowt) RUSSIAN [knut, from
Old Norse knutr knot] noun a scourge
or whip for flogging: "So the Tatars have
taught us, and they left us the knout as a
remembrance of it" (Fyodor Dostoyevsky,
The Brothers Karamazov, 1880).

koan (koahn) JAPANESE [public matter,
from ko public and an matter, proposition] noun (in Zen Buddhism) a paradoxical riddle that may be employed
for the purposes of meditation.

kobold (kobold, kobald) GERMAN
[goblin] noun in German folklore,
a mischievous breed of goblin that
lives underground, typically in silver
mines and similar places, or alternatively in the home: "In remote areas,
domestic mishaps are to this day often
blamed on the malevolent interference of
a kobold, or goblin."

kofta (kofta) URDU [from koftah
pounded meat] noun (in Middle
Eastern cuisine) a meat or fish rissole.

kohl (kol) ARABIC [from kuhl] noun a
type of black makeup for the eyes,
derived from powdered lead suphide

or antimony sulphide, as developed
at an early date in Egypt and Arabia:
"Then she turned them over and behold, the
kitchen wall clave asunder, and therefrom
came a young lady, fair of form, oval of
face, perfect in grace, with eyelids which
kohl lines enchase." (Richard Burton,
"The Fisherman and the Jinni,"Arabian
Nights, 1885-88).

kohlrabi (kolrahbee) GERMAN [from
Italian cavolo rapa cabbage turnip]
noun a variety of cabbage (Brassica
oleracea gongylodes) with a turnip-like
edible stem.

koine (1coinee) GREEK [feminine singular of koinos common, ordinary]
noun the Greek language as spoken
in the eastern Mediterranean area in
the Hellenistic and Roman periods,
and by extension the standard language or dialect of a particular area.

kolkhoz (kolkoz) RUSSIAN [collective farm, from kollektivnoe collective
and khozyaistvo farm] noun a collective farm, as organized in the former
Soviet Union: "For decades, agricultural
revenue depended largely upon the kolkhoz, an inherently inefficient setup that
served only to encourage the lazy and
self-serving."

Kol Nidre (kol nidray, kol nidra) ARAMAIC [all the vows] noun phrase an
Aramaic prayer sung on the eve of
Yom Kippur (after the opening words
of the prayer): "The pillar of the cloud appears. A fife and drum band is heard
in the distance playing the Kol Nidre."
(James Joyce, Ulysses, 1922).

konzertstuck (kontsairtshtook) GERMAN [concert piece] noun (in music)
a concert piece for solo instrument
and orchestra, often a short concerto.

kop (kop) AFRIKAANS [from Dutch
kop head] noun an isolated hill or
peak: "Sentries were posted on the kop
overlooking the village in case of a surprise
attack."

Koran (karahn), Quran, Qur'an ARAmc [kuran reading] noun the sacred
book of Islam, believed by Muslims
to he the word of God as dictated to
the prophet Muhammad and written
in Arabic.

lore (koray) GREEK [maiden, girl]
noun in Greek art, a statue of a
fully-clothed young woman: "The best
find of the day was a Greek kore, in nearperfect condition."

korma (korma) URDU [from Turkish
kavurmal noun a mild curry dish of
meat or fish: "The korma was excellent,
served with naan bread and chutney"

kosher (kasha) YIDDISH [from Hebrew kaser, fit, proper] noun food
that has been prepared and cooked in
such a way to meet the requirements
of Jewish dietary law. -adjective of or
relating to food that has been pre

pared and cooked in a ritual manner
according to Jewish dietary law. More
generally applied to anything that has
been honestly acquired or otherwise
passes muster and is not in some way
fake or illegitimate: "Are you sure these
designer suits are kosher?"

kouros (kooros) GREEK [from koros
boy] noun in Greek art, a statue of
a naked boy or young man.

kowtow (kowtow, kowtow) CHINESE
[from kou to knock and tou head]
verb to submit slavishly to the
wishes of another or generally to
act in a fawning, obsequious manner (a reference to the ancient Chinese custom of indicating reverence
to another person by kneeling and
touching the ground with one's forehead): "He was reluctant to kowtow to
the management in such a humiliating
manner."

kraal (krahl) AFRIKAANS [from Portuguese curral pen, enclosure[ noun a
stockade for domestic livestock, or an
enclosed village community in central
or southern Africa: "Cattle belonging to
the tribe are kept safe from lions in a kraal
of thorns." -verb to enclose animals in
such a pen.

kraken (kkan, krahkan) NORWEGIAN noun in Norwegian legend,
a mythical sea monster of vast proportions: "There seems some ground to
imagine that the great Kraken of Bishop Pontoppodan may ultimately resolve itself
into Squid" (Herman Melville, MobyDick, 1851).

kremlin (kremlin), Kremlin RUSSIAN
[kreml citadel] noun the citadel of a
Russian city or town, or specifically
the center of the government (and,
by extension, the top echelon of the
Communist Party) in Moscow during the Soviet era: "The interpreter
addressed an old porter and asked if it
was far to the Kremlin." (Leo Tolstoy,
War and Peace, 1863-69). Occasionally employed in jocular use with
reference to any government or management head office.

kriegspiel (kreegspeel) GERMAN [wargame] noun a wargame in which
military forces are represented by
small blocks moved about on a map,
used for training purposes.

krill (kril) NORWEGIAN (from kril
fish fry) noun a small planktonic
crustacean or other larval creature
that provides the basic diet for many
larger ocean-dwelling animals and
fish: "Each year the fleet harvests thousands of tons of krill."

kris (krees) MALAY [from keris] noun
a traditional dagger with a jagged serpentine blade: "Hassim unsheathed his
kris and held it in his hand" (Joseph Conrad, The Rescue, 1920).

kudos (k oodos, k(y)oodos) GREEK
[from kydos, glory, praise] noun fame,
prestige, renown, reputation, as won in
recognition of some deed or achievement: "In the first place, Bellairs had
made his last advance with a smile of gratfed vanity, and I could see the creature
was glorying in the kudos of an unusual
position and secure of ultimate success."
(Robert Louis Stevenson, The Wrecker,
1892).

kukri (kookree) NEPALI [from khukuri] noun the broad, curved knife
of the Ghurkas: "The leader of the brigands drew his kukri menacingly across
his throat."

kulak (koolak) RUSSIAN [fist, tightfisted person, from Turkic kul hand]
noun a wealthy peasant farmer or
merchant in prerevolutionary Russia,
a class subsequently made a particular target of the Stalinists: "The kulaks
found few defenders among the peasants
who had formerly been their vassals."

kultur (kuultoor) GERMAN [from
Latin cultura culture] noun culture,
particularly state -controlled culture
or culture that contributes toward
the evolution of society in general.
Sometimes taken to refer specifically
to German culture during the Nazi
era, which adherents considered superior to that of other nations: "Sudden
I heard my Captain say: / `Voila! Kultur
has passed this way, / And left us a monu ment"' (Robert Service, Ballads of a
Bohemian, 1921).

Kulturkampf (kuulterkampf, kuultakampf) GERMAN [from kultur culture
and kampf conflict] noun the cultural struggle between civil and
religious authorities, especially over
education and religious posts (usuall),
referring specifically to the clashes
that took place between the Roman
Catholic Church and Bismarck's government in Germany during the late
19th century).

Kulturkreis (kuulterkns) GERMAN [culture circle] noun an area of culture,
or culture in general.

kiimmel (koom2l) GERMAN [caraway
seed, from Old High German kumin
cumin] noun a colorless cordial or
sweet liqueur flavored with cumin and
caraway seeds.

kung fu (king Loo) CHINESE [from
gong merit and fu master] noun the
Chinese art of unarmed self-defense:
"Kung fu incorporates several disciplines,
including judo and karate."

kunstlied (koonstleed) GERMAN [art
song] noun (plural kunstlieder,
koonstleedar) an art song.

kursaal (kersahl) GERMAN [from Kur
cure and Saal hall, room] noun a
public building at a health resort: `Down the road a piece was a Kursaal
whatever that may be and we joined the
human tide to see what sort of enjoyment
it might afford. It was the usual open-air
concert, in an ornamental garden, with
wines, beer, milk, whey, grapes, etc..
(Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, 1880).