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

knit --- O.E. cnyttan "to tie with a knot, bind, fasten," related to O.N. knytja, M.L.G. knütten "to tie, knot," O.E. cnotta "a knot," from P.Gmc. *knuttjan, from stem *knutt-. Of brows, c.1386. Meaning "to do knitting" (especially plain stitch) is from 1530. Knitting "knitted work" attested from 1880.

knob --- 1373, knobe, probably from a Scand. or Ger. source (cf. M.L.G. knobbe "knob," O.N. knyfill "short horn"). Meaning "knoll, isolated round hill" is first recorded 1650, especially in U.S.

knock (v.) --- O.E. cnocian (W.Saxon cnucian), likely of imitative origin. Meaning "deprecate, put down" is from 1892. Knockoff "cheap imitation" is from 1966. Knock out "to stun by a blow for a 10-count" in boxing is short for to knock out of time; slang knockout "attractive person" is from 1892. To knock oneself out "make a great effort" is from 1936. Knock-kneed first attested 1774. Command knock it off "stop it" is first recorded 1902. Knocker "door banger" is from 1598; knockers "a woman's breasts" is from 1941. Knock up is 1663 in sense of "arouse by knocking at the door;" however it is little used in this sense in Amer.Eng., where the phrase means "get a woman pregnant" (1813), possibly ult. from knock "to copulate with" (1598; cf. slang knocking-shop "brothel," 1860).

knoll --- O.E. cnoll "hilltop, small hill," related to O.N. knollr "hilltop;" Ger. knolle "clod, lump;" Du. knol "turnip," nol "a hill."

knot --- O.E. cnotta "intertwining of ropes, cords, etc.," from P.Gmc. *knuttan- (cf. Low Ger. knütte, Du. knot, O.H.G. knoto, Ger. Knoten, perhaps also O.N. knutr "knot, knob"). Fig. sense of "difficult problem" was in O.E. (cf. Gordian knot). Symbolic of the bond of wedlock, c.1225. As an ornament of dress, first attested 1400. Meaning "thickened part or protuberance on tissue of a plant" is from 1398. The nautical unit of measure (1633) is from the practice of attaching knotted string to the log line. The ship's speed can be measured by the number of knots that play out while the sand glass is running.

know --- O.E. cnawan (class VII strong verb; past tense cneow, pp. cnawen), from P.Gmc. *knoeanan (cf. O.H.G. bi-chnaan, ir-chnaan "to know"), from PIE base *gno- "to know" (cf. O.Pers. xšnasatiy "he shall know;" O.C.S. znati, Rus. znat "to know;" L. gnoscere; Gk. *gno-, as in gignoskein; Skt. jna- "know"). Once widespread in Gmc., this form is now retained only in Eng., where however it has widespread application, covering meanings that require two or more verbs in other languages (e.g. Ger. wissen, kennen, erkennen and in part können; Fr. connaître, savoir; L. novisse, cognoscire, scire; O.C.S. znaja, vemi). The Anglo-Saxons used two distinct words for this, witan (see wit) and cnawan. Meaning "to have sexual intercourse with" is attested from c.1200, from the O.T. To not know one's ass from one's elbow is from 1930. To know better "to have learned from experience" is from 1704. You know as a parenthetical filler is from 1712, but it has roots in 14c. M.E. Know-how "technical expertise" first recorded 1838 in Amer.Eng. Know-nothing "ignoramus" is from 1827; as a U.S. nativist political party, active 1853-56, the name refers to the secret society at the core of the party, about which members were instructed to answer, if asked about it, that they "know nothing." The party merged into the Republican Party.

knowledge --- M.E. cnawlece. For first element see know. Second element obscure, perhaps cognate with the -lock "action, process," found in wedlock.

knuckle --- c.1375, knokel "finger joint," common Gmc. (cf. M.L.G. knökel, M.Du. cnockel, Ger. knöchel), lit. "little bone," a dim. of P.Gmc. root *knuck- "bone" (cf. Ger. Knochen "bone). To knuckle down "apply oneself earnestly" is 1864 in Amer.Eng., extended from game of marbles; to knuckle under is first recorded 1740. Knuckle-duster is from 1858; knucklehead "stupid person" first recorded 1944. Knuckleball, type of baseball pitch, is from 1927.

knurl --- 1608, probably a dim. of M.E. knor "knot" (c.1400), related to gnarl, from P.Gmc. *knur- (cf. Ger. knorren "a knotty excrescence").

koala --- 1808, from the Aboriginal name of the animal, variously given as koola, kulla, kula.

koan --- Zen paradox, 1946, from Jap. ko "public" + an "matter for thought."

Kodak --- brand of camera, arbitrary coinage by U.S. inventor George Eastman (1854-1932), U.S. trademark reg. Sept. 4, 1888. In 1890s, practically synonymous with camera. Kodachrome, reg. trademark for a method of color photography, 1915.

koh-i-noor --- famous diamond, one of the British crown jewels after the annexation of Punjab in 1849, from Pers. koh-i-nur, lit. "mountain of light," from Pers. koh "mountain" + Arabic nur "light."

kohl --- powder used to darken eyelids, 1799, from Arabic kuhl (see alcohol).

kohl rabi --- kind of cabbage, 1807, from Ger. kohlrabi, from It. cavoli rape, pl. of cavolo rapa, lit. "cole rape" (see rape (n.)). Form influenced by Ger. kohl "cabbage."

koine --- 1913, common literary dialect of Gk. in Roman and early medieval period, from Gk. fem. sing. of koinos "common, ordinary."

kola --- the cola nut, 1830, variant of cola (q.v.).

kolkhoz --- U.S.S.R. collective farm, 1921, from Rus., contraction of kollektivnoe khozyaistvo "collective farm."

Komodo dragon --- 1927, named for Indonesian island of Komodo, where it lives.

Komsomol --- Rus. communist youth organization, 1934, from Rus., contraction of Kommunisticheskii Soyuz Molodezhi "Communist Union of Youth."

kooky --- 1959, Amer.Eng., originally teenager or beatnik slang, possibly a shortening of cuckoo. Noun form kook is attested from 1960.

kopeck --- 1/100 of a ruble, from Rus. kopeika, from kop'e "lance" (cognate with Gk. kopis "chopper, cleaver"); so called because the coin showed the czar with lance in hand.

Koran --- 1615, from Arabic qur'an "a reading, recitation, book," from root of quara-a "he read, recited."

kos --- measure of distance in India (about 2 miles), from Hindi kos, from Skt. krosah, lit. "a call, a shout;" thus, "distance within which a man's shout can be heard."

kosher --- ritually fit or pure (especially of food), 1851, from Yiddish kosher, from Heb. kasher "fit, proper, lawful," from base of kasher "was suitable, proper." General sense of "correct, legitimate" is from 1896.

kowtow --- 1804 (n.), from Chinese k'o-t'ou custom of touching the ground with the forehead to show respect or submission, lit. "knock the head," from k'o "knock, bump" + t'ou "head." The verb in the fig. sense of "act in an obsequious manner" is from 1826.

kraken --- monster of the North Sea, 1755, from Norw. dial. krake.

Kraut --- a German (esp. a German soldier), 1841, but popularized during World War I, from Ger. kraut "cabbage," considered a characteristic national dish.

Kremlin --- 1662, from Fr. kremlin, from Rus. krem'l "citadel, fortress," of Tartar origin. Originally the citadel of any Rus. city, now esp. the one in Moscow. Used metonymically for "government of the U.S.S.R." from 1933.

kriegspiel --- war games played with pieces on maps, 1811, from Ger. Kriegsspiel, lit. "war game," from Krieg "war," from M.H.G. kriec, mostly "exertion, opposition, enmity," from O.H.G. krig "stubbornness, defiance," probably cognate with Gk. hybris "violence" (see hubris; cf. also war). For second element, see spiel (n.). Introduced 1870s as officer training in British army.

krill --- 1907, from Norw. kril "small fry of fish."

kris --- short Malay dagger with a wavy blade, 1577, said to be a Javanese word.

Krishna --- eighth avatar of Vishnu, 1875, from Skt. krshnah, lit. "the Black One," from PIE *kers-no-, suffixed form of base *kers- "dark, dirty" (cf. O.C.S. crunu, Rus. coron, Serbo-Cr. crn, Czech cerny, O.Prus. krisnas "black," Lith. kersas "black and white, variegated").

Kriss Kringle --- 1830, Christ-kinkle (in a Pennsylvania German context), from Ger. Christkindlein, Christkind'l "Christ child." Properly Baby Jesus, not Santa Claus.

Krugerrand --- 1967, South African gold coin (issued for investment purposes) bearing a portrait of Transvaal President Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger (1825-1904); second element is rand, unit of decimal currency introduced in Republic of South Africa 1961, named for The Rand, gold-mining area in Transvaal, short for Witwatersrand.

krummhorn --- curved wind instrument, 1864, from Ger., lit. "crooked horn," from krumm "curved, crooked."

Krupp --- 1883, "gun made at the armaments works in Essen, Germany," founded by Ger. metallurgist Alfred Krupp (1812-87).

krypton --- inert gaseous element, 1898, coined by its discoverers (Sir William Ramsay and Morris W. Travers) from Gk. krypton, neut. of kryptos "hidden;" so called because it was a rare gas.

Ku Klux Klan --- 1867, Amer.Eng., Kuklux Klan, a made-up name, supposedly from Gk. kyklos "circle" (see cycle) + Eng. clan. Originally an organization of former Confederate officers and soldiers, it was put down by the U.S. military, 1870s. Revived 1915 as a national racist Protestant fraternal organization, it grew to prominence but fractured in the 1930s. It had a smaller national revival 1950s as an anti-civil rights group, later with anti-government leanings.

kudos --- fame, renown, 1799, from Gk. kyddos "glory, fame, renown," from kydos "glory, fame," lit. "that which is heard of" (see caveat). A singular noun in Gk., but the final -s is usually mistaken as a plural suffix in Eng., leading to the barbarous back-formation kudo (first attested 1941).

kudzu --- 1893, from Jap. kuzu. Perennial climbing plant native to Japan and China, introduced in U.S. southeast as forage (1920s) and to stop soil erosion (1930s) and quickly got out of hand.

kulturkampf --- 1879, "struggle between Ger. government and Catholic Church over control of educational and ecclesiastical appointments, 1872-86," from Ger., lit. "struggle for culture," from Kultur + Kampf "combat, fight, struggle," from L. campus "field, battlefield."

kumquat --- 1699, from Chinese (Cantonese) kamkwat, from kam "golden" + kwat "orange." Cantonese pronunciation of Chinese kin-ku.

kung fu --- 1966, from dial. Chinese kung fu, literally "merit master."

Kuomintang --- 1912, Chinese nationalist party founded by Sun Yat-Sen, led after 1925 by Chiang Kai-Shek; from kuo "nation, nationalist" + min "people" + tang "party."

Kurd --- 1616, the people's self-designation.

kvass --- Rus. fermented drink made from rye or barley, c.1553, from Rus. kvas "leaven," from O.C.S. kvasu "yeast," cognate with L. caseus "cheese."

kvetch --- to complain, whine, 1965, from Yiddish kvetshn, lit. "squeeze, press," from Ger. quetsche "crusher, presser."

kyrie eleison --- c.1225, Gk. liturgical formula, adopted untranslated into Latin Mass, lit. "lord have mercy" (Ps. cxxii.3, Matt. xv.22, xvii.15, etc.). From kyrie, voc. of kyrios "lord, master" (see church) + eleeson, aorist imper. of eleo "I have pity on, show mercy to," from eleos "pity, mercy" (see alms).

L.A. --- abbreviation for Los Angeles, attested from 1949.

L.L. --- contraction of L. legum "of laws, in degrees;" e.g. L.L.D., which stands for Legum Doctor "Doctor of Laws." Plural abbreviations in L. formed by doubling the letter.

l.s.d. --- abbreviation of British currency units, from L. librae, soldi, denarii, Roman equivalent of "pounds, shillings, pence."

la --- musical note (sixth note of the diatonic scale), c.1325, see gamut.

label --- c.1320, "narrow band or strip of cloth," from O.Fr. label, lambel "ribbon, fringe" (Fr. lambeau "strip, rag, shred, tatter"), possibly from Frank. *labba (cf. O.H.G. lappa "flap"), from P.Gmc. *lapp- (see lap (n.)). Sense of "strip attached to a document to hold a seal" evolved in M.E. (c.1380), and general meaning of "tag, sticker, slip of paper" is from 1679. Meaning "circular piece of paper in the center of a gramophone record" (1907), containing information about the recorded music, led to meaning "a recording company" (1952). The verb meaning "to affix a label to" is from 1601; fig. sense of "to categorize" is from 1853.

labial --- pertaining to the lips, 1594, from M.L. labialis, from L. labium "lip" (see lip). Lips of the female pudendum called labia from 1634.

labonza --- belly, 1950s, probably from dialectal pronunciation of It. la pancia "the belly," from L. pantex (gen. panticis) "belly" (see paunch).

labor (n.) --- c.1300, "exertion of the body," from O.Fr. labour (Fr. labeur), from L. laborem (nom. labor) "toil, pain, exertion, fatigue, work," perhaps originally "tottering under a burden," related to labere "to totter." The verb is c.1300, from M.Fr. labourer, from L. laborare, from labor. The verb in modern Fr., Sp., Port. means "to plow;" the wider sense being taken by the equivalent of Eng. travail. Meaning "body of laborers considered as a class" (usually contrasted to capitalists) is from 1839; Labour "the British Labour Party" is from 1906. Sense of "physical exertions of childbirth" is 1595, from Fr. en travail "in (childbirth) suffering" (see travail). Labor Day first marked 1882 in New York City.

laboratory --- 1605, "building set apart for scientific experiments," from M.L. laboratorium "a place for labor or work," from L. laboratus, pp. of laborare "to work" (see labor). Shortened form lab first attested 1895.

laborious --- 1390, "hard-working," from O.Fr. laborieux (12c.), from L. laboriosus "toilsome, wearisome, troublesome," from labor. Meaning "costing much labor" is from 1555.

Labrador --- large province of eastern Canada, probably from Port. lavrador "landholder," perhaps in ref. to 15c. Port. explorer Joao Fernandes, a landholder in the Azores. The name was first applied to Greenland. The breed of retriever dog so called from 1829.

labyrinth --- 1387, from L. labyrinthus, from Gk. labyrinthos "maze, large building with intricate passages," esp. the structure built to hold the Minotaur, from a pre-Gk. language; perhaps related to Lydian labrys "double-edged axe," symbol of royal power, which fits with the theory that the labyrinth was originally the royal Minoan palace on Crete and meant "palace of the double-axe." Used in Eng. for "maze" early 15c., and in figurative sense of "confusing state of affairs" (1548).

lac --- red resinous substance, 1553, from Pers. lak, from Hindi lakh (Prakrit lakkha), from Skt. laksha, which according to Klein is lit. "one hundred thousand," in ref. to the insects that gather in great numbers on the trees and make the resin run out. But others say lakh is an alteration of Skt. rakh, from an IE root word for "color" [Webster]. Still another guess is that Skt. laksha is related to Eng. lax, lox "salmon," and the substance was perhaps originally so called from being somewhat the color of salmon.

lace --- c.1230, from O.Fr. las "a net, noose, string" (Fr. lacs), from V.L. *lacium, from L. laqueum (nom. laqueus) "noose, snare" (It. laccio, Sp. lazo), a trapping and hunting term, probably from Italic base *laq- "to ensnare" (cf. L. lacere "to entice"). The "ornamental net pattern" meaning is first recorded 1555. Sense of "cord for tying" remains in shoelace. To lace coffee, etc., with a dash of liquor (1677) was originally used of sugar, and comes via the notion of "to ornament or trim." Laced mutton was "an old word for a whore" [Johnson]. Lace-curtain "middle class" (or lower-class with middle-class pretensions) usually is used in ref. to Irish-Americans.

lacerate --- 1592, from L. laceratus, pp. of lacerare "tear to pieces, mangle," from lacer "torn, mangled," from PIE base *leq- "to rend" (cf. Gk. lakis "tatter, rag," lakizein "to tear to pieces;" Rus. lochma "rag, tatter, scrap;" Albanian lakur "naked").

lachrymose --- 1661, "tear-like," from L. lacrimosus "tearful, sorrowful," from lacrima "tear," a dialect-altered borrowing of Gk. dakryma "tear," from dakryein "to shed tears," from dakry "tear," from PIE *dakru-/*draku- (see tear (n.)). Meaning "given to tears, tearful" is first attested 1727; meaning "of a mournful character" is from 1822. The -d- to -l- alteration in L. is the so-called "Sabine -L-," cf. L. olere "smell," from root of odor, and Ulixes, the L. form of Gk. Odysseus.

lack (n.) --- c.1200, may have existed as unrecorded O.E. *lac, or been borrowed from M.Du. lak "deficiency, fault," from P.Gmc. *laka- (cf. O.N. lakr "lacking"). The verb is attested earlier, c.1175, but is considered to be from the noun. Lackluster first attested 1600 in "As You Like It." Combinations with lack- were frequent in 16c., e.g. lackland (1594), of a landless man; lack-Latin (c.1534), of an ignorant priest.

lackadaisical --- 1768, from interjection lackadaisy "alas, alack" (1748), an alteration of lack-a-day (1695), from alack the day. Hence, "given to crying 'lack-a-day,' vapidly sentimental." Sense probably altered by infl. of lax.

lackey --- 1529, "footman, running footman, valet," from M.Fr. laquais "foot soldier, footman, servant" (15c.), probably from O.Prov. lacai, from lecai "glutton, covetous," from lecar "to lick." Alternate etymology is via Fr. from Catalan alacay, from Arabic al-qadi "the judge." Yet another guess traces it through Sp. lacayo, from It. lacchè, from Mod.Gk. oulakes, from Turk. ulak "runner, courier." This suits the original sense better, but OED says It. lacchè is from French. Sense of "servile follower" appeared 1588. As a political term of abuse it dates from 1939 in communist jargon.

laconic --- concise, abrupt, 1589, from Gk. Lakonikos, from Lakon "person from Lakonia," the district around Sparta in southern Greece in ancient times, whose inhabitants were famous for their brevity of speech. When Philip of Macedon threatened them with, "If I enter Laconia, I will raze Sparta to the ground," the Spartans' reply was, "If."

lacquer --- 1673, from Fr. lacre "a kind of sealing wax," from Port. lacre, unexplained variant of lacca "resinous substance," from Arabic lakk, from Pers. lak (see lac). The verb meaning "to cover or coat with laqueur" is from 1688.

lacrosse --- 1718, Amer.Eng., from Canadian Fr. jeu de la crosse "game of the hooked sticks," from crosse "hooked stick," which is used to throw the ball, from P.Gmc. *kruk-. Originally a N.Amer. Indian game. The native name is represented by Ojibwa (Algonquian) baaga'adowe "to play lacrosse."

lactation --- 1668, "process of suckling an infant," from Fr. lactation, from L. lactationem (nom. lactatio) "a suckling," from L. lactatus, pp. of lactare "suckle," from lac (gen. lactis) "milk," from PIE base *glact- (cf. Gk. gala, gen. galaktos "milk"). Meaning "process of secreting milk from the breasts" first recorded 1857; lactate (v.) in this sense is a back-formation from 1889. Lactic acid is from 1790; so called because it was obtained from sour milk. M.Ir. lacht, Welsh llaeth "milk" are loan words from Latin.

lactose --- sugar from milk, 1858, from Fr., coined by Fr. chemist Marcelin-Pierre-Eugène Berthelot (1827-1907) from L. lac "milk" (see lactation) + suffix -ose.

lacuna --- 1663, "blank or missing portion in a manuscript," from L. lacuna "hole, pit," dim. of lacus "pond, lake" (see lake (1)).

lad --- c.1300, ladde "foot soldier," also "young male servant" (attested as a surname from c.1100), possibly from a Scand. language (cf. Norw. -ladd, in compounds for "young man"), but of obscure origin in any case. OED hazards a guess on M.E. ladde, plural of the pp. of lead (v.), thus "one who is led" (by a lord). Meaning "boy, youth, young man" is from c.1440. Scottish form laddie, a term of endearment, attested from 1546.

ladder --- O.E. hlæder, from P.Gmc. *khlaidri (cf. O.Fris. hledere, M.Du. ledere, O.H.G. leitara, Ger. Leiter), from PIE base *khli- "to lean" (cf. Gk. klimax "ladder;" see lean (v.)). The belief that walking under one brings bad luck is attested from 1787, but its origin likely is more pragmatic than symbolic.

lade --- O.E. hladan (past tense hlod, pp. gehladen) "to load, heap" (the general Gmc. sense), also "to draw water" (a meaning peculiar to Eng.), from P.Gmc. *khlad- (cf. O.N. hlaða, O.Fris. hlada, O.H.G. hladen, Ger. laden), from PIE *klat- (cf. Lith. kloti "to spread," O.C.S. klado "to set, place"). Lading first attested c.1500. Laden (adj.) first recorded 1595, is from the original pp.

la-di-da --- mocking of affected gentility, c.1883, in derisive imitation of "swell" way of talking.

Ladin --- 1877, Rhaeto-Romanic dialect spoken in Switzerland and Tyrol, from L. Latinus "Latin."

Ladino --- 1889, Spanish mixed with Hebrew, Arabic, and other elements, written in Heb. characters, spoken by Sephardim in Turkey, Greece, etc. From Sp. Ladino "sagacious, cunning crafty," originally "knowing Latin, Latin," from L. Latinus. The Sp. word also has appeared in 19c. Amer.Eng. in its senses "vicious horse" and, in Central America, "mestizo, white person."

ladle --- large, long-handled spoon for deawing liquids, O.E. hlædel, from hladan "to load" (see lade) + -le, suffix expressing "appliance, tool" (cf. shovel). The verb is first recorded 1525.

lady --- M.E. lafdi, lavede, ladi, from O.E. hlæfdige "mistress of a household, wife of a lord," lit. "one who kneads bread," from hlaf "bread" (see loaf) + -dige "maid," related to dæge "maker of dough" (see dey (1); also compare lord). Not found outside Eng. except where borrowed from it. Sense of "woman of superior position in society" is c.1205; "woman whose manners and sensibilities befit her for high rank in society" is from 1861 (ladylike in this sense is from 1586). Meaning "woman as an object of chivalrous love" is from c.1374. Used commonly as an address to any woman since 1890s. Applied in O.E. to the Holy Virgin, hence many extended usages in plant names, etc., from gen. sing. hlæfdigan, which in M.E. merged with the nom., so that lady- often represents (Our) Lady's; e.g. ladybug (1699; cf. Ger. cognate Marienkäfer) which now is called ladybird beetle (1704) in Britain, through aversion to the word bug, which there has overtones of sodomy. Ladies' man first recorded 1784.

Laertes --- king of Ithaca, father of Odysseus, Gk., lit. "gatherer of the people," from laos "people" + eirein "to fasten together."

lag (v.) --- fail to keep pace, 1530, from earlier adj. meaning "last" (1514), e.g. lag-mon "last man," possibly from a Scand. source (cf. Norw. lagga "go slowly"), or some dialectal version of last, lack, or delay. First record of lag time is from 1956. Laggard is from 1702.

lager --- 1858, Amer.Eng., short for lager beer (1853), from Ger. Lager-bier "beer brewed for keeping," from Lager "storehouse" (see lair) + Bier "beer."

lagniappe --- dividend, something extra, 1849, from New Orleans creole, of unknown origin though much speculated. Originally a bit of something given by New Orleans shopkeepers to customers. Said to be from Amer.Sp. la ñapa "the gift." Klein says this is in turn from Quechua yapa "something added, gift."

lagoon --- 1612, from Fr. lagune, from It. laguna "pond, lake," from L. lacuna "pond, hole," from lacus "pond" (see lake). Originally in ref. to the region of Venice; applied 1769 to the lake-like stretch of water enclosed in a South Seas atoll.

laic --- 1562, from Fr. laique, from L.L. laicus, from Gk. laikos "of or belonging to the people," from laos "people" (see lay (adj.)).

laid --- pp. of lay (v.). Laid-up "injured, sick," originally was a nautical term (1769) describing a ship moored in harbor. Laid off "temporarily unemployed" is from 1955. Laid-back "relaxed" is first attested 1973, perhaps in reference to the posture of highway motorcyclists.

laidly --- c.1300, Scottish and northern English variant of loathly "hideous, repulsive."

lair --- O.E. leger "bed, couch, grave, act or place of lying down," from P.Gmc. *legran (cf. O.N. legr, O.Fris. legor, O.H.G. legar, Ger. Lager, Goth. ligrs "place of lying"), from *leg-, the root of lie (q.v.). Meaning "animal's den" is from c.1420.