A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

Jupiter --- c.1205, "supreme deity of the ancient Romans," from L. Iupeter, from PIE *dyeu-peter- "god-father" (originally vocative, "the name naturally occurring most frequently in invocations" -Tucker), from *deiw-os "god" (see divine (adj.)) + peter "father" in the sense of "male head of a household." Cf. Gk. Zeu pater, vocative of Zeus pater "Father Zeus;" Skt. Dyauspita "heavenly father." The planet name is attested from c.1290. Jupiter Pluvius "Jupiter as dispenser of rain" was used jocularly from 1864.

Jurassic --- geological period between the Triassic and the Cretaceous, 1833, from Fr. Jurassique, lit. "of the Jura Mountains," between France and Switzerland, whose limestones were laid down during this period. The name is said to be from Gaulish *iuris "wooded mountain."

juridical --- 1502, from L. juridicus, from jus "right, law" (gen. juris; see jurist) + dicere "to say, to speak" (see diction).

jurisdiction --- c.1300 "administration of justice" (attested from 1267 in Anglo-L.), from L. jurisdictionem (nom. jurisdictio) "administration of justice, jurisdiction," from jus (gen. juris; see jurist) "right, law" + dictionem (nom. dictio) "a saying." Meaning "extent or range of administrative power" is from c.1380.

jurisprudence --- 1628, "knowledge of law," from L. jurisprudentia "the science of law," from juris "of right, of law" (gen. of jus; see jurist) + prudentia "knowledge, a foreseeing" (see prudence). Meaning "the philosophy of law" is first attested 1756.

jurist --- 1456, "one who practices law," from M.Fr. juriste, from M.L. jurista "jurist," from L. jus, ius (gen. juris) "law," L. ius "law," from PIE *yewes- "law," originally a term of religious cult, perhaps meaning "sacred formula" (cf. L. iurare "to pronounce a ritual formula," Vedic yos "health," Avestan yaoz-da- "make ritually pure," Ir. huisse "just"). The Gmc. root represented by O.E. æ "custom, law," O.H.G. ewa, Ger. Ehe "marriage," though sometimes associated with this group, seems rather to belong to PIE *ei- "to go." Meaning "a legal writer" is from 1626.

juror --- 1377 (attested from 1188 in Anglo-L.), from Anglo-Fr. jurour (1292; O.Fr. jureor), from L. juratonem (nom. jurator) "swearer," agent noun from jurare "to swear" (see jury (n.)).

jury (adj.) --- temporary, 1616, in jury-mast, a nautical term for a temporary mast put in place of one broken or blown away. The word is probably ult. from O.Fr. ajurie "help, relief," from L. adjutare (see aid).

jury (n.) --- 1398 (attested from 1188 in Anglo-L.), from Anglo-Fr. juree (1292), from M.L. jurata "an oath, an inquest," fem. pp. of L. jurare "to swear," from jus (gen. juris) "law" (see jurist). Grand jury attested from 1433 in Anglo-Fr. (le graund Jurre). Meaning "body of persons chosen to award prizes at an exhibition" is from 1851.

jussive --- grammatical mode expressing command, 1846, from L. jussus, pp. of jubere "to bid, command."

just (adj.) --- 1382, "righteous in the eyes of God, upright and impartial," from O.Fr. just, from L. justus "upright, equitable," from jus (gen. juris) "right," especially "legal right, law," from O.Latin ious, perhaps lit. "sacred formula," a word peculiar to Latin (not general Italic) that originated in the religious cults, from PIE base *yewes- (cf. Avestan yaozda- "make ritually pure;" see jurist). The more mundane L. law-word lex covered specific laws as opposed to the body of laws.

just (adv.) --- merely, barely, 1665, from M.E. sense of "exactly, punctually" (c.1400), from just (adj.). Just-so story first attested 1902 in Kipling.

justice --- 1140, "the exercise of authority in vindication of right by assigning reward or punishment," from O.Fr. justise, from L. justitia "righteousness, equity," from justus "upright, just" (see just (adj.)). The O.Fr. word had widespread senses, including "uprightness, equity, vindication of right, court of justice, judge." The word began to be used in Eng. c.1200 as a title for a judicial officer. Meaning "the administration of law" is from 1303. Justice of the peace first attested 1320. In the Mercian hymns, L. justitia is glossed by O.E. rehtwisnisse.

justify --- c.1300, "to administer justice," also "to show (something) to be just or right," from O.Fr. justifer, from L. justificare "act justly toward, make just," from justificus "dealing justly, righteous," from justus "just" (see just (adj.)) + root of facere "to do" (see factitious). Meaning "to make exact" (now largely restricted to typesetting) is from 1551.

jut (v.) --- to protrude, c.1450, corruption of obsolete jet (see jetty).

Jute --- O.E. Eotas, one of the ancient Gmc. inhabitants of Jutland in Denmark; traditionally, during the 5c. invasion of England, they were said to have settled in Kent and Hampshire. The name is related to O.N. Iotar.

jute --- plant fiber, 1746, from Bengali jhuto, from Skt. juta-s "twisted hair," related to jata "braid of hair," of unknown origin, probably from a non-I.E. language.

juvenile --- 1625, from L. juvenilis "of or belonging to youth," from juvenis "young person," originally "young" (see young). Hence juvenilia "works of a person's youth" (1622). Juvenile delinquency first recorded 1816.

juxtaposition --- 1665, coined in Fr. 17c. from L. juxta "beside, near" + Fr. position. Latin juxta is a contraction of *jugista (adv.), superl. of adj. *jugos "closely connected," from stem of jugum "yoke," from jungere "to join" (see jugular).

K --- one thousand dollars, 1970s, from kilo-. As an indication of "strikeout" in baseball scorekeeping, first recorded c.1880, said to be from last letter of struck, since first letter was already being used as abbreviation for sacrifice. The invention of the scorecard symbols is attributed to newspaperman Henry Chadwick. K as a measure of capacity (esp. in computer memory) or number (esp. of salary), meaning "one thousand" is an abbrev. of kilo (q.v.).

Kaaba --- 1734 (Caaba), cube-shaped building in the Great Mosque of Mecca, containing the Black Stone, from Arabic ka'bah "square house," from ka'b "cube."

kabuki --- 1899, from Japanese, popular theater (as opposed to shadow puppet-plays or lyrical Noh dramas), lit. "art of song and dance," from ka "song" + bu "dance" + ki "art." Alternate etymology (in Webster's) is from nominal form of kabuku "to be divergent, to deviate," from early opinion of this form of drama. Since c.1650, all parts are played by males.

Kaddish --- doxology of the Jewish ritual, 1613, from Aramaic qaddish "holy, holy one," from stem of q'dhash "was holy," ithqaddash "was sanctified," related to Heb. qadhash "was holy," qadhosh "holy." According to Kline, the name probably is from the second word of the text veyithqaddash "and sanctified be."

kaffeeklatsch --- gossip over cups of coffee, 1888, from Ger., from kaffee "coffee" + klatsch "gossip" (see klatsch).

kaffir --- 1790, from Arabic qafir "unbeliever, infidel, impious wretch," with a lit. sense of "one who does not admit the blessings of God," from kafara "to cover up, conceal, deny." Technically, "non-Muslim," but in Ottoman times it came to be used almost exclusively for "Christian." Early Eng. missionaries used it as an equivalent of "heathen" to refer to Bantus in South Africa (1792), from which use it came generally to mean "South African black" regardless of ethnicity, and to be a term of abuse since at least 1934.

Kafkaesque --- 1947, resembling situations from the writings of Franz Kafka (1883-1924), German-speaking Jewish novelist born in Prague, Austria-Hungary.

kahuna --- 1886, "Hawaiian priest or minister, expert or wise man," from Hawaiian, where it was applied to priests, doctors, sorcerers, and navigators. In surfer slang, for "a god of surfing," it is attested from 1962 (but big kahuna in same sense is said to date from 1950s).

kaiser --- an emperor, O.E. casere, obscure after M.E., but revived 1858 in ref. to the Ger. emperors of Austria and, after 1870, Germany, from Ger. Kaiser, from Bavarian and Austrian spelling of M.H.G. keisar, from O.H.G. keisar "emperor," an early borrowing of L. cognomen Cæsar (q.v.). The Gmc. and Slavic peoples seem to have called all Roman emperors "caesar" (cf. O.E. casere, O.N. keisari). Said to be the earliest L. loan word in Gmc.

kakistocracy --- 1829, "government by the worst element of a society," coined on analogy of aristocracy from Gk. kakistos "worst," superl. of kakos "bad" (which is perhaps related to the general IE word for "defecate") + -kratia "rule of," from kratos "strength, power, rule" (see -cracy).

Kalashnikov --- type of rifle or submachine gun made in the U.S.S.R., 1970, from Rus. Kalashnikov, weapon developed in Soviet Union c.1946 and named for Mikhail Kalashnikov, gun designer and part of the team that built it. In AK-47, the AK stands for Avtomat Kalashnikov.

kale --- c.1300, M.E. cawul, surviving as a Scottish variant of cole "cabbage" (see cole-slaw). Slang meaning "money" is from 1902.

kaleidoscope --- 1817, lit. "observer of beautiful forms," coined by its inventor, Sir David Brewster (1781-1868), from Gk. kalos "beautiful" + eidos "shape" (see -oid) + -scope, on model of telescope, etc. Figurative meaning "constantly changing pattern" is first attested 1819 in Lord Byron, whose publisher had sent him one.

Kali --- a name of Devi, the Hindu mother-goddess, in her death-goddess aspect, 1798, from Skt. kali, lit. "the black one," fem. of kalah "blue-black, black," from a Dravidian language. Also taken as the fem. of kala "time" (as destroyer). She is portrayed as black-skinned, blood-smeared, and wearing a necklace of skulls and a girdle of snakes.

Kama Sutra --- 1883, from Skt. Kama Sutra, ancient treatise on love and sexual performance, from kama "love" (see whore) + sutra (see sutra).

kamikaze --- suicide corps, 1945, Japanese, lit. "divine wind," from kami "god, providence, divine" + kaze "wind." Originally the name given in folklore to a typhoon which saved Japan from Mongol invasion by wrecking Kublai Khan's fleet (August 1281).

kanaka --- U.S. nautical and Australian name for "native of South Sea islands," 1840, from Hawaiian kanaka "man" (Samoan tangata).

kangaroo --- 1770, used by Capt. Cook and botanist Joseph Banks, supposedly an aborigine word from northeast Queensland, Australia, usually said to be unknown now in any native language. However, according to Australian linguist R.M.W. Dixon ("The Languages of Australia," Cambridge, 1980), the word probably is from Guugu Yimidhirr (Endeavour River-area Aborigine language) /gaNurru/ "large black kangaroo."

kanji --- Chinese ideographs that make up the bulk of Japanese writing, 1920, from Jap. kan "Chinese" + ji "letter, character."

Kansas --- 1722, from Fr., variant of Kansa, native name of a Siouan people. It is a plural (see Arkansas).

Kantian --- 1796, of or pertaining to Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) or his philosophy.

kaolin --- china clay, 1727, from Fr. kaolin (1712), from Chinese Kao-ling, transliteration of the name of a mountain in Jiangxi, China (near which it was originally dug up), from Chinese gao "high" + ling "mountain, hill."

kapellmeister --- conductor, 1838, from Ger., lit. "chapel master," from Kapelle "chapel" (also the name given to a band or orchestra) + Meister "master."

kapok --- 1735, from Malay kapoq, name of the large tropical tree which produces the fibers.

kaput --- 1895, "finished, worn out, dead," from Ger. kaputt, probably a misunderstanding of the phrase capot machen, a partial translation of Fr. faire capot, a phrase meaning "lose all the tricks in piquet," an obsolete card game, from Fr. capot, lit. "cover, bonnet."

karaoke --- 1979, from Japanese, from kara "empty" + oke "orchestra," shortened form of okesutora, a Japanization of Eng. orchestra.

karat --- variant of carat (q.v.). In U.S., karat is used for "proportion of fine gold in an alloy" and carat for "weight of a precious stone."

karate --- 1955, from Japanese, lit. "empty hand, bare hand," from kara "empty" + te "hand."

karma --- 1827, in Buddhism, the sum of a person's actions in one life, which determine his form in the next; from Skt. karman- "action, fate," related to krnoti, Avestan kerenaoiti "makes," O.Pers. kunautiy "he makes;" from PIE base *kwer- "to make, form," related to the second element in Sanskrit.

karoo --- barren table land in S. Africa, 1789, said to be from a Hottentot word meaning "dry."

karyo- --- comb. form of Gk. karyon "nut, kernel," used since c.1874 in biological terms refering to cell nuclei.

kathenotheism --- a form of polytheism characteristic of the Vedic religion, in which one god at a time is considered supreme, 1865, coined in Ger. by Max Müller from Gk. kath' hena "one by one" + theism. Müller also coined henotheism (1860), from Gk. henos "one," for "faith in a single god" as distinguished from exclusive belief in only one god, in writings on early Hebrew religion.

katydid --- insect of the locust family (Microsentrum rhombifolium), 1784, Amer.Eng. (perhaps first used by John Bartram), imitative of the stridulous sound the male makes when it rubs its front wings together.

katzenjammer --- 1849, "a hangover," Amer.Eng. colloquial, from Ger. katzen, comb. form of katze "cat" + jammer "distress, wailing." Hence, "any unpleasant reaction" (1897). Katzenjammer Kids "naughty children" is from title of comic strip first drawn by Rudolph Dirks in 1897 for the "New York Journal."

kayak --- 1757, from Dan. kajak, from Greenland Eskimo qayaq, lit. "small boat of skins."

kazoo --- 1884, Amer.Eng., probably altered from earlier bazoo "trumpet" (1877); probably ultimately onomatopoeic (cf. bazooka). In England, formerly called a Timmy Talker, in France, a mirliton.

kebab --- pieces of meat roasted on a skewer, 1813 (see shish kebab).

keck --- to make a sound as if to vomit, 1537, echoic.

Ked --- proprietary name of a brand of canvas sneakers, 1917, registered by United States Rubber Co., N.Y.

keel --- lowest timber of a ship or boat, 1338, from O.N. kjölr "keel," from P.Gmc. *keluz, of uncertain origin. Etymologists say this is unconnected with the root of M.Du. kiel "ship," O.E. ceol "ship's prow," O.H.G. kiel, Ger. Kiel "ship," but the two words have influenced each other. This other word is said to be from P.Gmc. *keula, from PIE *geul- "rounded vessel." Keel still is used locally in England and U.S. for "flat-bottomed boat," especially on the Tyne. To keel over (1876) is from the nautical image of a ship turning keep-up. Keelhaul is 17c. from Du. kielhalen "to haul under the keel," an old punishment. The verb is 1838, Amer.Eng., from the noun.

keen (adj.) --- O.E. cene "bold brave," later "clever, wise," from P.Gmc. *kan- "be able to" (see can). Original prehistoric senses seem to have been both "brave" and "Skilled;" cf. O.N. kænn "skillful, wise," M.Du. coene "bold," O.H.G. kuon "pugnacious, strong," Ger. Kühn "bold, daring." Sense of "eager" is from c.1350. The meaning "sharp" is peculiar to Eng.: of blades and edges c.1225, of sounds c.1400, of eyesight c.1720. A popular word of approval in teenager and student slang from c.1900.

keen (v.) --- lament, 1811, from Ir. caoinim "I weep, wail, lament," from O.Ir. coinim.

keep (v.) --- late O.E. cepan "to seize, hold," also "to observe," from P.Gmc. *kopijanan, but with no certain connection to other languages. It possibly is related to O.E. capian "to look," from P.Gmc. *kap- (cepan was used c.1000 to render L. observare), which would make the basic sense "to keep an eye on."

kef --- 1808, from Arabic kaif "well-being, good-humor." Specifically, state of dreaming intoxication produced by smoking cannabis; dolce far niente. In Morocco and Algeria, it was the name for Indian hemp.

keg --- 1452, from O.N. kaggi "keg, cask," of unknown origin. Specific sense of "barrel of beer" is from 1945.

keister --- buttocks, 1931, perhaps transferred from underworld meaning "safe, strongbox" (1914), earlier "a burglar's toolkit that can be locked" (1881); probably from British dialect kist (c.1300, northern form of chest, from O.N. kista) or its Ger. cognate Kiste "chest, box." The connection may be via pickpocket slang sense of "rear trouser pocket" (1930s).

keld --- 1697 in northern dialect, but frequent in place names, from O.N. kelda "a well, fountain, spring," also "a deep, still, smooth part of a river."

Kelly --- common Irish surname, from O.Ir. ceallach "war." As a type of pool played with 15 balls, it is attested from 1898. Kelly green first recorded 1936.

kelp --- 1663, from M.E. culpe (1387), of unknown origin. Kelper "native or inhabitant of the Falkland Islands" is attested from 1960.

kelpie --- 1747, Scottish, of unknown origin, perhaps related to Gael. colpach "heifer, steer, colt;" colpa "cow, horse." The Lowland name of a demon in the shape of a horse that was reputed to haunt lakes and rivers and to delight in causing drownings. But unlike its equivalents in Dan. (nøkken) and Icel. (nykur), it was occasionally benevolent, especially to millers by keeping their streams running.

Kelvin --- unit of absolute temperature scale, 1911, in honor of British physicist Sir William Thompson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907).

ken (n.) --- house where thieves meet, 1567, vagabonds' slang, probably a shortening of kennel.

ken (v.) --- to know, Scot. dial., from O.E. cennan "make known, declare, acknowledge," originally "make to know," causative of cunnan "to become acquainted with, to know" (see can (v.)). The noun meaning "range of sight" (1590) is a nautical abbreviation of kenning.

Kennedy --- Irish surname, said to be from O.Ir. cinneide "ugly head."

kennel --- 1301, from O.Fr. chenil, from V.L. canile, from L. canem (nom. canis) "dog" (see canine).

Kenneth --- masc. proper name, Scottish, from Gael. Caioneach, lit. "handsome, comely."

keno --- game of chance (akin to bingo), 1814, Amer.Eng., probably from Fr. quine "five winning numbers in a lottery," from L. quini "five each," distributive of quinque "five."

Kent --- L. Canticum, Gk. Kantion (51 B.C.E.), an ancient Celtic name often explained as "coastal district," but possibly "land of the hosts or armies."

Kentucky --- U.S. state, earlier a county of Virginia, organized 1776; the name is of Iroquois or Shawnee origin, perhaps a Wyandot (Iroquoian) word meaning "meadow" (cf. Seneca geda'geh "at the field"); the river name seems to have been the original use in Eng.; the native use perhaps was first in ref. to a village in Clark County known in Shawnee as Eskippakithiki.

Kenya --- African nation, named for Mount Kenya, probably a shortening of Kikuyu Kirinyaga, from kere nyaga, lit. "white mountain" (the mountain is snowcapped).

kepi --- 1861, from Fr. képi, from Ger. Swiss käppi, dim. of Ger. Kappe "a cap," from L.L. cappa "hood, cap" (see cap).

ker- --- 1836, U.S. slang prefix, possibly from infl. of Ger. or Du. ge-, pp. prefix; or ultimately echoic of the sound of the fall of some heavy body.

keratin --- basic substance of horns, nails, feathers, etc., 1847, from Gk. keras (gen. keratos) "horn" + chemical suffix -in.

kerb --- 1664, a variant of curb (q.v.), preferred British spelling in certain specialized senses, especially "edging of stone on a sidewalk" (1805).

kerchief --- 1223, from Anglo-Fr. courchief, from O.Fr. couvrechief, lit. "cover head," from couvrir "to cover" + chief "head."

kerfluffle --- row, disturbance, c.1930, first in Canadian English, ult. from Scot. curfuffle, based on fuffle to throw into disorder;" first element probably as in kersplash, etc. (see ker-).

kern --- 1683, "part of a metal type projecting beyond the body," as the head of an -f- or the tail of a -j-, from Fr. carne "projecting angle, quill of a pen," from L. cardinem "hinge."

kernel --- O.E. cyrnel, from P.Gmc. *kurnilo- (cf. M.H.G. kornel, M.Du. cornel), from the root of corn "seed, grain" (see corn) + -el, dim. suffix. Fig. sense of "core or central part of anything" is from 1556.

kerosene --- 1852, coined in Canada by Abraham Gesner, who discovered how to distill it c.1846, from Gk. keros "wax" + chemical suffix -ene. So called because it contains paraffin.

kestrel --- 15c., from M.Fr. cresserelle, from L. crepitacillium "small rattle," dim. of crepitaculum "noisy bell, rattle," from crepitare "to crackle, rattle;" possibly from the old belief that their noise frightened away other hawks.

ketch --- kind of small sailing vessel, 1655, probably from M.E. cacchen "to capture, ensnare, chase" (see catch).

ketchup --- 1711, from Malay kichap, from Chinese (Amoy dial.) koechiap "brine of fish." Catsup (earlier catchup) is a failed attempt at Anglicization, still in use in U.S. Originally a fish sauce, early English recipes included among their ingredients mushrooms, walnuts, cucumbers, and oysters. Modern form of the sauce began to emerge when U.S. seamen added tomatoes.

ketone --- 1851, "group of chemicals containing CO," from Ger. keton, coined in 1848 by Ger. chemist Leopold Gmelin (1788-1853) from Ger. Aketon, from Fr. acétone (see acetone).

kettle --- O.E. cetil (Mercian), from L. catillus "deep pan or dish for cooking," dim. of catinus "bowl, dish, pot." A general Gmc. borrowing (cf. O.S. ketel, O.Fris. zetel, M.Du. ketel, O.H.G. kezzil, Ger. Kessel). Spelling with a -k- (c.1300) probably is from infl. of O.N. cognate ketill. The smaller sense of "tea-kettle" is 20c. Kettledrum is from 1542.

kewpie --- 1909, Amer.Eng., coined by their illustrator, Rose C. O'Neill (1874-1944), as an altered form of Cupid.

key (1) --- metal piece that works a lock, from O.E. cæg, of unknown origin, with no certain cognates other than O.Fris. kei. Perhaps related to M.L.G. keie "lance, spear" on notion of "tool to cleave with," from P.Gmc. *ki- "to cleaver, split" (cf. Ger. Keil "wedge," Goth. us-kijans "come forth," said of seed sprouts, keinan "to germinate"). Figurative sense of "that which serves to open or explain" was in O.E.; meaning "that which holds together other parts" is from 1523. Musical sense of "tone, note" is 15c., but modern sense of "scale" is 1590, probably from L. clavis or Fr. clef, from use in the Guidonian system for lowest note of a scale, which is its basis (cf. keynote). Also extended to "mechanism on a musical instrument" (c.1500).

key (2) --- low island, 1697, from Sp. cayo "shoal, reef," from Taino cayo "small island;" spelling infl. by M.E. key "wharf" (1306), from O.Fr. kai "sand bank" (see quay).

keyboard --- 1819, from key (1) in sense of "mechanism of a musical instrument" + board. Originally of pianos, organs, etc., extended to other machines 1846. The verb is first recorded 1961. Keypad is from 1975; keypunch is from 1933. Keystroke first attested c.1910.

keynote --- lowest note of a musical scale, basis of a scale, 1776, from key (1) in sense of "musical scale" + note. Fig. sense of "leading idea" is from 1783; keynote address is 1905, Amer.Eng.

keystone --- stone in the middle of an arch, which holds up the others, 1637, from key (1) in fig. sense of "that which holds together other parts." Fig. sense is from 1641. Pennsylvania was called the Keystone State because of its position (geographical and political) in the original American confederation, between northern states and southern ones. Keystone cops were the bumbling crew of officers in the slapstick films produced by Keystone Company, formed by Canadian-born U.S. film director Mack Sennett (1884-1960) in 1912.

Keziah --- fem. proper name, biblical daughter of Job, from Heb. Qetzi'ah, lit. "cassia," the aromatic tree that produces cinnamon.

khaki --- 1857, from Urdu khaki, lit. "dusty," from khak "dust," from Pers. First introduced in uniforms of British cavalry in India (the Guide Corps, 1846); widely adopted for camouflage purposes in the Boer Wars (1899-1902).