英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

kultur (n.)[kultur 词源字典]: 1914, originally, "civilization as conceived by the Germans" (especially their own), a word from the First World War and always at first ironic, from German kultur, from Latin cultura (see culture (n.)).[kultur etymology, kultur origin, 英语词源]
Kulturkampf (n.): 1879, originally in reference to the struggle between the German government and the Catholic Church over control of educational and ecclesiastical appointments, 1872-86, German, literally "struggle for culture," from Kultur + Kampf "combat, fight, struggle," from Old High German kampf (8c.), from Latin campus "field, battlefield" (see campus).
kumquat (n.): 1690s, from Chinese (Cantonese) kamkwat, from kam "golden" + kwat "orange." Cantonese dialectal form of Chinese kin-ku.
kung fu (n.): 1966, from dialectal Chinese kung fu, said to meant literally "merit master," but Barnhart has it as "boxing method."
kunst (n.): a word from German, literally "art," originally "knowledge, skill," from the root of kennen "to know," können "know how, be able" (see can (v.)).
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: 1610s, the people's self-designation.
kurgan (n.): 1889, from Russian, originally a Tatar word.
Kuwait: Persian Gulf country, named for its capital city (said to have been founded in current form 1705), which is from Arabic al-kuwayt, diminutive of kut, a word used in southern Iraq and eastern Arabia for a fortress-like house surrounded by a settlement and protected by encircling water, and said to be ultimately from Persian. Related: Kuwaiti.
kvass (n.): Russian fermented drink made from rye or barley, 1550s, from Russian kvas "leaven," from Old Church Slavonic kvasu "yeast," cognate with Latin caseus "cheese" (see cheese (n.1)).
kvetch (v.): "to complain, whine," 1953 (implied in kvetching), from Yiddish kvetshn, literally "squeeze, press," from German quetsche "crusher, presser." As a noun, from 1936 as a term of abuse for a person.
kwashiorkor (n.): 1935, from a native name in Ghana for the disease.
kylix (n.): from Greek kylix "cup," cognate with Latin calix, from PIE root *kal- (1) "cup" (see chalice).
kymatology (n.): science of waves, from Greek kyma (genitive kymatos) "wave" + -ology. Related: Kymatological.
Kyoto: city in Japan, from kyo + to, both meaning "capital." Founded 794 as Heionkyo "Capital of Calm and Peace," it also has been known as Miyako and Saikyo. Kyoto Protocol so called because it was initially adopted Dec. 11, 1997, in the Japanese city.
kyphosis (n.): from Greek kyphos "crooked" + -osis.
kyrie eleison: early 13c., Greek liturgical formula, adopted untranslated into the Latin mass, literally "lord have mercy" (Ps. cxxii:3, Matt. xv:22, xvii:15, etc.). From kyrie, vocative of kyrios "lord, master" (see church) + eleeson, aorist imperative of eleo "I have pity on, show mercy to," from eleos "pity, mercy" (see alms).
kia ora: "(In New Zealand) a greeting wishing good health", Maori.
kai: "Food", Maori.
kafir (1): "A person who is not a Muslim (used chiefly by Muslims)", From Arabic kāfir 'infidel, unbeliever'. Compare with Kaffir.