Kaama
Kaa´ma, n. (Zoöl.) The hartbeest.

Kabala
Kab´a•la, n. See Cabala.

Kabyle
Ka•byle´, n. [Ar. qabila.] (Ethnol.) A Berber, as in Algiers or Tunis. See Berber.

Kagu
Ka´gu, n. (Zoöl.) A singular, crested, grallatorial bird (Rhinochetos jubatus), native of New Caledonia. It is gray above, paler beneath, and the feathers of the wings and tail are handsomely barred with brown, black, and gray. It is allied to the sun bittern.

Kaguan
Ka•gu•an´, n. (Zoöl.) The colugo.

Kahani
Ka´ha´ni, n. A kind of notary public, or attorney, in the Levant.

Kahau
Ka•hau´, n. [Native name, from its cry.] (Zoöl.) A long-nosed monkey ( Semnopithecus nasalis), native of Borneo. The general color of the body is bright chestnut, with the under parts, shoulders, and sides of the head, golden yellow, and the top of the head and upper part of the back brown. Called also proboscis monkey. [Written also kaha.]

Kail, n.
1. (Bot.) A kind of headless cabbage. Same as Kale, 1.
2. Any cabbage, greens, or vegetables. [OE. or Scot.]
3. A broth made with kail or other vegetables; hence, any broth; also a dinner. [Scot.] Kail yard, a kitchen garden. [Scot.]

Kainit
Kai´nit, n. [Trade name, fr. kainite.] Salts of potassium used in the manufacture of fertilizers.

Kainite
Kai´nite, n. [Gr. recent.] (Min.) A compound salt consisting chiefly of potassium chloride and magnesium sulphate, occurring at the Stassfurt salt mines in Prussian Saxony.

Kainozoic
Kai•no•zo´ic, a. See Cenozoic.

Kairoline
Kai•ro•line, n. (Chem.) An organic base obtained from quinoline. It is used as a febrifuge, and resembles kairine.

Kaiser
Kai´ser, n. [Gr., fr. L. Caesar. Cf. Kesar, and Czar.] The ancient title of emperors of Germany assumed by King William of Prussia when crowned sovereign of the new German empire in 1871.

Kakapo
Ka•ka•po´, n. (Zoöl.) A singular nocturnal parrot ( Strigops habroptilus), native of New Zealand. It lives in holes during the day, but is active at night. It resembles an owl in its colors and general appearance. It has large wings, but can fly only a short distance. Called also owl parrot, night parrot, and night kaka.

Kakaralli
Kak•a•ral´li, n. A kind of wood common in Demerara, durable in salt water, because not subject to the depredations of the sea worm and barnacle.

Kakistocracy
Kak•is•toc´ra•cy (kak•is•tok"ra•sy), n. [Gr. ka•kistos worst + kratei^n to rule.] Government by the worst men.

Kakoxene
Ka•kox´ene, n. See Cacoxene.

Kalasie
Ka•la•sie´, n. (Zoöl.) A long-tailed monkey of Borneo ( Semnopithecus rubicundus). It has a tuft of long hair on the head.

Kale, n. [Scot. kale, kail, cale, colewort, Gael. cael; akin to Ir. cal, W. cawl, Armor. kaol. See Cole.]
1. (Bot.) A variety of cabbage in which the leaves do not form a head, being nearly the original or wild form of the species. [Written also kail, and cale.]
2. See Kail, 2. Sea kale (Bot.), a European cruciferous herb ( Crambe maritima), often used as a pot herb; sea cabbage.

Kaleidoscope
Ka•lei´do•scope, n. [Gr. beautiful + form + -scope.] An instrument invented by Sir David Brewster, which contains loose fragments of colored glass, etc., and reflecting surfaces so arranged that changes of position exhibit its contents in an endless variety of beautiful colors and symmetrical forms. It has been much employed in arts of design.
"Shifting like the fragments of colored glass in the kaleidoscope." G. W. Cable. { Ka•lei•do•scop´ic, Ka•lei•do•scop´ic•al } a. Of, pertaining to, or formed by, a kaleidoscope; variegated.

Kalendar
Kal´en•dar, n. See Calendar.

Kaligenous
Ka•lig´e•nous, a. [ Kali + -genous. See Alkali.] Forming alkalies with oxygen, as some metals.

Kalmia
Kal´mi•a, n. [NL. Named in honor of Peter Kalm, a Swedish botanist.] (Bot.) A genus of North American shrubs with poisonous evergreen foliage and corymbs of showy flowers. Called also mountain laurel, ivy bush, lamb kill, calico bush, etc.

Kalmuck
Kal´muck, n.
1. pl. (Ethnol.) See Calmucks.
2. A kind of shaggy cloth, resembling bearskin.
3. A coarse, dyed, cotton cloth, made in Prussia.

Kaloyer
Ka•loy´er, n. See Caloyer.

Kalsomine
Kal´so•mine, n. & v. t. Same as Calcimine.

Kamala
Ka•ma´la, n. (Bot.) The red dusty hairs of the capsules of an East Indian tree ( Mallotus Philippinensis) used for dyeing silk. It is violently emetic, and is used in the treatment of tapeworm. [Written also kameela.]

Kame, n. A low ridge. [Scot.] See Eschar.

Kamichi
Ka´mi•chi, n. (Zoöl.) A curious South American bird ( Anhima, or Palamedea, cornuta), often domesticated by the natives and kept with poultry, which it defends against birds of prey. It has a long, slender, hornlike ornament on its head, and two sharp spurs on each wing. Although its beak, feet, and legs resemble those of gallinaceous birds, it is related in anatomical characters to the ducks and geese ( Anseres). Called also horned screamer. The name is sometimes applied also to the chaja. See Chaja, and Screamer.

Kampylite
Kam´py•lite, n. [Gr. bent, curved, fr. to bend.] (Min.) A variety of mimetite or arseniate of lead in hexagonal prisms of a fine orange yellow. [Written also campylite.] { Kam•sin´, Kham•sin´ }, n. [Ar. khamsin, fr. khamsun, oblique case khamsin, fifty; — so called because it blows for about fifty days, from April till June.] A hot southwesterly wind in Egypt, coming from the Sahara. [Written also Khamseen.]

Kamtschadales
Kam´tscha•dales, n. pl. (Ethnol.) An aboriginal tribe inhabiting the southern part of Kamtschatka.

Kan, v. t. To know; to ken. [Obs.] See Ken.

Kan, n. See Khan. { Ka•nack´a, Ka•na´ka } n. [Native name, prop., a man.] A native of the Sandwich Islands.

Kand, n. (Mining) Fluor spar; — so called by Cornish miners.

Kangaroo
Kan´ga•roo´, n. [Said to be the native name.] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of jumping marsupials of the family Macropodidae. They inhabit Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands, They have long and strong hind legs and a large tail, while the fore legs are comparatively short and feeble. The giant kangaroo ( Macropus major) is the largest species, sometimes becoming twelve or fourteen feet in total length. The tree kangaroos, belonging to the genus Dendrolagus, live in trees; the rock kangaroos, of the genus Petrogale, inhabit rocky situations; and the brush kangaroos, of the genus Halmaturus, inhabit wooded districts. See Wallaby. Kangaroo apple (Bot.), the edible fruit of the Tasmanian plant Solanum aviculare. — Kangaroo grass (Bot.), a perennial Australian forage grass ( Anthistiria australis). — Kangaroo hare (Zoöl.), the jerboa kangaroo. See under Jerboa. — Kangaroo mouse. (Zoöl.) See Jumping mouse, under Jumping. — Kangaroo rat (Zoöl.), the potoroo.

Kantian
Kant´i•an, a. Of or pertaining to Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher; conformed or relating to any or all of the philosophical doctrines of Immanuel Kant.

Kantian
Kant´i•an, n. A follower of Kant; a Kantist. { Kant´i•an•ism, Kant´ism }, n. The doctrine or theory of Kant; the Kantian philosophy.

Kantist
Kant´ist n. A disciple or follower of Kant.

Kanttry
Kant´try, n. Same as Cantred. { Ka´o•lin, Ka´o•line }, n. [Chin. kao-ling.] (Min.) A very pure white clay, ordinarily in the form of an impalpable powder, and used to form the paste of porcelain; China clay; porcelain clay. It is chiefly derived from the decomposition of common feldspar. The name is now applied to all porcelain clays which endure the fire without discoloration.

Kaolinize
Ka´o•lin•ize, v. t. To convert into kaolin.

Kapelle
Ka•pel´le, n. [G.] (Mus.) A chapel; hence, the choir or orchestra of a prince’s chapel; now, a musical establishment, usually orchestral. Grove.

Kapellmeister
Ka•pell´meis•ter, n. [G.] (Mus.) See Capellmeister.

Kapnomar
Kap´no•mar, n. (Chem.) See Capnomor.

Karagane
Kar´a•gane, n. [Russ. karagan’] (Zoöl.) A species of gray fox found in Russia.

Karaism
Ka´ra•ism, n. Doctrines of the Karaites.

Karaite
Ka´ra•ite, n. [Heb. qara to read.] (Eccl. Hist.) A sect of Jews who adhere closely to the letter of the Scriptures, rejecting the oral law, and allowing the Talmud no binding authority; — opposed to the Rabbinists.

Karakul
Ka•ra•kul´, n. [Russ. karakul’ curly fleece of Bokhara and Khiva sheep.] Astrakhan, esp. in fine grades. Cf. Caracul.

Karma
Kar´ma, n. [Skr.] (Buddhism) One’s acts considered as fixing one’s lot in the future existence. (Theos.) The doctrine of fate as the inflexible result of cause and effect; the theory of inevitable consequence.

Karmathian
Kar•ma´thi•an, n. One of a Mohammedan sect founded in the ninth century by Karmat.

Karn, n. [Cornish. Cf. Cairn.] (Mining) A pile of rocks; sometimes, the solid rock. See Cairn.

Karpholite
Kar´pho•lite, n. [Gr. rice straw + -lite: cf. F. carpholithe.] (Min.) A fibrous mineral occurring in tufts of a straw-yellow color. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina and manganese.

Karroo
Kar•roo´ (kar•roo"), n. ; pl. Karroos (-rooz"). One of the dry table-lands of South Africa, which often rise terracelike to considerable elevations. [Also karoo.] The Great Karroo, or The Karroo, a vast plateau, in Cape Colony, stretching through five degrees of longitude, at an elevation of about 3,000 feet.

Karstenite
Kar´sten•ite, n. Same as Anhydrite.

Karyomiton
Kar•y•om´i•ton (-om"i•ton), n. [NL., Gr. ka•ryon a nut + mi•tos a thread.] (Biol.) The reticular network of fine fibers, of which the nucleus of a cell is in part composed; — in opposition to kytomiton, or the network in the body of the cell. W. Flemming.

Karyoplasma
Kar•y•o•plas´ma (kar•i•o•plaz"ma), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ka•ryon a nut + pla•sma a thing molded.] (Biol.) The protoplasmic substance of the nucleus of a cell: nucleoplasm; — in opposition to kytoplasma, the protoplasm of the cell.

Karyostenosis
Kar•y•o•ste•no´sis, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ka•ryon a nut, kernel + a being straitened.] (Biol.) Direct cell division (in which there is first a simple division of the nucleus, without any changes in its structure, followed by division of the protoplasm of the cell); — in opposition to karyokinesis. [1913 Webster]

Karyostenotic
Kar•y•o•ste•not´ic, a. (Biol.) Pertaining to, or connected with, karyostenosis; as the karyostenotic mode of nuclear division.

Kasack
Ka•sack´ (kat), n. (Ethnol.) Same as Cossack.

Katabolic
Kat•a•bol´ic, a. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to katabolism; as katabolic processes, which give rise to substances (katastates) of decreasing complexity and increasing stability.

Katabolism
Ka•tab´o•lism, n. [Gr. down + to throw.] (Physiol.) Destructive or downward metabolism; regressive metamorphism; — opposed to anabolism. See Disassimilation.

Kathetal
Kath´e•tal, a. [Gr. a perpendicular line. See Cathetus.] (Math.) Making a right angle; perpendicular, as two lines or two sides of a triangle, which include a right angle.

Katydid
Ka´ty•did, n. (Zoöl.) A large, green, arboreal, orthopterous insect ( Cyrtophyllus concavus) of the family Locustidae, common in the United States. The males have stridulating organs at the bases of the front wings. During the summer and autumn, in the evening, the males make a peculiar, loud, shrill sound, resembling the combination Katy-did, whence the name.

Kauri
Ka´u•ri, n. [Native name.] (Bot.) A lofty coniferous tree of New Zealand Agathis, or Dammara, australis), furnishing valuable timber and yielding one kind of dammar resin. [Written also kaudi, cowdie, and cowrie.]

Kauri
Kau´ri, n. (a) Kauri resin. (b) By extension, any of various species of Dammara; as the red kauri ( D. lanceolata). { Kauri resin, gum, or copal }. A resinous product of the kauri, found in the form of yellow or brown lumps in the ground where the trees have grown. It is used for making varnish, and as a substitute for amber.

Kava
Ka´va, n. [Polynesian.] (Bot.) A species of Macropiper ( M. methysticum), the long pepper, from the root of which an intoxicating beverage is made by the Polynesians, by a process of mastication; also the beverage itself. [Written also kawa, kava, and ava.]

Kavass
Ka•vass´, n. ; pl. Kavasses (#) [Turk. kavvas] An armed constable; also a government servant or courier. [Turkey]

Kaw, v. i. & n. See Caw.

Kawn, n. An inn. [Turkey] See Khan.

Kayaker
Kay´ak•er, n. One who uses a kayak.

Kayko
Kay´ko, n. (Zoöl.) The dog salmon.

Kayles, n. pl. [Akin to Dan. kegle, Sw. kegla, D. & G. kegel, OHG. kegil, whence F. quille.] A game; ninepins. [Prov Eng.] Carew.

Kaynard
Kay´nard, n. [F. cagnard.] A lazy or cowardly person; a rascal. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Kazoo
Ka•zoo´, n. [Etymol. uncertain.] A kind of toy or rude musical instrument, as a tube inside of which is a stretched string made to vibrate by singing or humming into the tube.