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K

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K, k

  [key]
Use K in a Sentence
–noun, plural K's or Ks, k's or ks.
1. the eleventh letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
2. any sound represented by the letter K or k, as in bilk, kit, or sick.
3. something having the shape of a K.
4. a written or printed representation of the letter K or k.
5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter K or k.
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K

 
1. Chess. king.
2. Physics. Kelvin.
3. the number 1000: The salary offered is $20K. Origin:
abbr. of kilo-
4. Music. Köchel listing.
5. kindergarten : a K–12 boarding school.
6. Real Estate. kitchen.

K

 
Symbol.
1. the eleventh in order or in a series, or, when I is omitted, the tenth.
2. Chemistry. potassium. Origin:
< NL kalium
3. Computers.
a. the number 1024 or 210: A binary 32K memory has 32,768 positions.
b. kilobyte.
4. Baseball. strikeout; strikeouts.
5. Physics. kaon.
6. Biochemistry. lysine.

K

 
Ecology.
carrying capacity.

k

 
Symbol.
1. Mathematics. a vector on the z-axis, having length 1 unit.
2. Boltzmann constant.

K.

 
1. kip; kips.
2. Knight.
3. kwacha.

k.

 
1. Electricity. capacity.
2. karat.
3. kilogram; kilograms.
4. Chess. king.
5. knight.
6. knot.
7. kopeck.

carrying capacity

 
–noun Ecology.
the maximum, equilibrium number of organisms of a particular species that can be supported indefinitely in a given environment. Abbreviation: K
Origin:
1880–85

kar⋅at

  [kar-uht]
–noun
a unit for measuring the fineness of gold, pure gold being 24 karats fine. Abbreviation: k., kt.
Also, carat.

Origin:
1550–60; sp. var. of carat

Kel⋅vin

  [kel-vin]
–noun
1. William Thomson, 1st Baron, 1824–1907, English physicist and mathematician.
2. (lowercase) the base SI unit of temperature, defined to be 1/273.16 of the triple point of water. Abbreviation: K
–adjective
3. Thermodynamics. noting or pertaining to an absolute scale of temperature (Kelvin scale) in which the degree intervals are equal to those of the Celsius scale and in which the triple point of water has the value 273.16 Kelvin. Compare absolute temperature scale, Celsius (def. 2).
4. Also, Kel⋅win  [kel-win] . a male given name.

kip

3  [kip]
–noun
a paper money and monetary unit of Laos, equal to 100 at. Abbreviation: K.
Origin:
1950–55; < Lao kì:p currency unit, ingot

Köchel listing

  [kur-shuhl; Ger. kœ-khuhl]
–noun
the chronological number of a composition of Mozart as assigned in the catalog of the composer's works compiled in the 19th century by the Austrian musicologist Ludwig von Köchel (1800–1877) and since revised several times. Abbreviation: K
Also called Köchel number.

kwa⋅cha

  [kwah-chuh]
–noun
1. a cupronickel coin, paper money, and monetary unit of Malawi, equal to 100 tambala. Abbreviation: K.
2. a cupronickel coin, paper money, and monetary unit of Zambia, equal to 100 ngwee. Abbreviation: K.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To K
k 1 or K   (kā)   
n.   pl. k's or K's also ks or Ks

  1. The 11th letter of the modern English alphabet.

  2. Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter k.

  3. The 11th in a series.

  4. Something shaped like the letter K.

k 2  
abbr.  karat
K 1   (kā)   
n.   Slang
One thousand dollars.

[k(ilo)-.]
K 2  
The symbol for the element potassium.

[From New Latin kalium, potassium; see hypokalemia.]
K 3  
abbr.  

  1. kaon

  2. kelvin

  3. kilobyte

  4. kindergarten

  5. Games king

  6. Bible Kings

  7. strikeout

ka·on   (kā'ŏn')   
n.   Abbr. K
Any of a subgroup of unstable mesons that consist of an electrically charged form with a mass 966 times that of an electron and a neutral form with a mass 974 times that of an electron, produced as a result of a high-energy particle collision. Also called K-meson. See Table at subatomic particle.

[ka, pronunciation of the letter K + -on1.]
kar·at also car·at   (kār'ət)   
n.   Abbr. k or kt.
A unit of measure for the fineness of gold, equal to 1/24 part. Pure gold is 24 karat; gold that is 50 percent pure is 12 karat.

[Variant of carat.]
kel·vin   (kěl'vĭn)   
n.   Abbr. K

  1. A unit of absolute temperature equal to 1/273.16 of the absolute temperature of the triple point of water. One kelvin degree is equal to one Celsius degree. See Table at measurement.

  2. Kelvin A temperature scale in which zero occurs at absolute zero and each degree equals one kelvin. Water freezes at 273.15 K and boils at 373.15 K.


[After First Baron Kelvin.]
kil·o·byte   (kĭl'ə-bīt')   
n.   Abbr. K or KB

  1. A unit of computer memory or data storage capacity equal to 1,024 (210) bytes.

  2. One thousand bytes.

kin·der·gar·ten   (kĭn'dər-gär'tn, -dn)   
n.   Abbr. K
A program or class for four-year-old to six-year-old children that serves as an introduction to school.

[German : Kinder, genitive pl. of Kind, child (from Middle High German kint, from Old High German kind; see genə- in Indo-European roots) + Garten, garden (from Middle High German garte, from Old High German garto; see gher-1 in Indo-European roots).]
king   (kĭng)   
n.  

  1. A male sovereign.

  2. One that is supreme or preeminent in a particular group, category, or sphere.

  3. King

    1. The perfect, omniscient, omnipotent being; God.

    2. Christianity Jesus.

    3. Abbr. K A playing card bearing the figure of a king, ranking above a queen.

    4. Abbr. K The principal chess piece, which can move one square in any direction and must be protected against checkmate.

    5. A piece in checkers that has been moved to the last row on the opponent's side of the board and been crowned, thus becoming free to move both forward and backward.

  4. Games

    1. Abbr. K A playing card bearing the figure of a king, ranking above a queen.

    2. Abbr. K The principal chess piece, which can move one square in any direction and must be protected against checkmate.

    3. A piece in checkers that has been moved to the last row on the opponent's side of the board and been crowned, thus becoming free to move both forward and backward.

  5. Kings (used with a sing. verb) Abbr. K or Kgs. See Table at Bible.

adj.  Principal or chief, as in size or importance.
tr.v.   kinged, king·ing, kings Games
To make (a piece in checkers) into a king; crown.

[Middle English, from Old English cyning; see genə- in Indo-European roots.]
po·tas·si·um   (pə-tās'ē-əm)   
n.   Symbol K
A soft, silver-white, highly or explosively reactive metallic element that occurs in nature only in compounds. It is obtained by electrolysis of its common hydroxide and found in, or converted to, a wide variety of salts used especially in fertilizers and soaps. Atomic number 19; atomic weight 39.098; melting point 63.65°C; boiling point 774°C; specific gravity 0.862; valence 1. See Table at element.

[From potash (from which it was first obtained).]
po·tas'sic adj.
strike·out   (strīk'out')   
n.   Baseball Abbr. K or SO
An out made by a batter charged with three strikes and credited to the pitcher who threw the strikes.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

carrying capacity

In ecology, the number of living things that can exist for long periods in a given area without damaging the environment.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
K [ke]

  1. n.
    and kee; key; ki. [ki]a kilogram of cannabis. (Drugs.) : Well, how much is a ki?
  2. n.
    ketamine hydrochloride, a drug similar to LSD. (Drugs.) : You want to try this K. stuff?
  3. n.
    a thousand (of anything, such as dollars, bytes, etc.). : This car is worth at least twenty K.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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kip

  1. in.
    to sleep. : He's upstairs kipping. Can he call you back?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

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.).

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."

Kelvin 
unit of absolute temperature scale, 1911, in honor of British physicist Sir William Thompson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

K

A Nasdaq stock symbol specifying that the stock has no voting rights.

Investopedia Commentary

Nasdaq-listed securities have four or five characters. If a fifth letter appears, it identifies the issue as other than a single issue of common stock or capital stock.

See also: Nasdaq, Stock Symbol, Voting Right

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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Financial Dictionary

k

Used in the dividend column of stock transaction tables of newspapers to indicate dividends that have been paid so far during the year on an issue of preferred stock with dividends in arrears: pf 1.75k.


K

Used frequently in the financial literature as a symbol for 1,000.


karat

A measure of the purity of gold. Pure gold is indicated by the label 24 karat. See also fineness.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: K
Function: symbol
1 dissociation constant; ionization constant
2 [New Latin kalium] potassium
3 kelvin

Main Entry: Kelvin
Function: adjective
: relating to, conforming to, or being the Kelvin scale
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

K 1

The symbol for the element potassium.

K 2
abbr.
Kelvin

kelvin kel·vin (kěl'vĭn)
n.
Abbr. K
A unit of temperature in the Kelvin scale equal to 1/273.16 of the absolute temperature of the triple point of pure water.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
carrying capacity   (kār'ē-ĭng)  Pronunciation Key 
The maximum population of a particular organism that a given environment can support without detrimental effects.
K  

  1. Abbreviation of kelvin

  2. The symbol for potassium.


Kelvin, First Baron. Title of William Thomson 1824-1907.  
British mathematician and physicist known especially for his work on heat and electricity. In 1848 he proposed a scale of temperature independent of any physical substance, which became known as the Kelvin scale.
potassium   (pə-tās'ē-əm)  Pronunciation Key 
Symbol K
A soft, highly reactive, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali group occurring in nature only in compounds. It is essential for the growth of plants and is used especially in fertilizers and soaps. Atomic number 19; atomic weight 39.098; melting point 63.65°C; boiling point 774°C; specific gravity 0.862; valence 1. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

K unit
kilo-, a kilobyte. Used both as a spoken word and a written suffix, like meg and gig for megabyte and gigabyte.
See prefix.
[The Jargon File]
(1995-09-29)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
k

  1. karat

  2. 1000

K

  1. Cambodia (international vehicle ID)

  2. kaon

  3. Kelvin

  4. kicker

  5. kilobyte

  6. kindergarten

  7. king

  8. Kings

  9. knight

  10. 1,000

  11. 1,024 (the closest number to 1,000 that is a power of 2—used for certain measurements, such as bytes)

  12. potassium

  13. strikeout

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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