Nearby Words
noun
Idioms1.
a class or group of individual objects, people, animals, etc., of the same nature or character, or classified together because they have traits in common; category: Our dog is the same kind as theirs.
2.
nature or character as determining likeness or difference between things: These differ in degree rather than in kind.
3.
a person or thing as being of a particular character or class: He is a strange kind of hero.
4.
a more or less adequate or inadequate example of something; sort: The vines formed a kind of roof.
5.
EXPAND6.
COLLAPSEObsolete. gender; sex.
7.
in kind,
a.
in something of the same kind or in the same way as that received or borne: They will be repaid in kind for their rudeness.
b.
in goods, commodities, or services rather than money: In colonial times, payment was often made in kind.
8.
kind of, Informal. to some extent; somewhat; rather: The room was kind of dark.
9.
of a kind, of the same class, nature, character, etc.: They are two of a kind.
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Kinds
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Origin:
before 900; Middle English kinde, Old English gecynd nature, race, origin; cognate with Old Norse kyndi, Old High German kikunt, Latin gēns (genitive gentis); see kin
before 900; Middle English kinde, Old English gecynd nature, race, origin; cognate with Old Norse kyndi, Old High German kikunt, Latin gēns (genitive gentis); see kin
Synonyms
1. order, genus, species; race, breed; set.
1. order, genus, species; race, breed; set.
Usage note
The phrase these (or those) kind of, followed by a plural noun (these kind of flowers; those kind of shoes) is frequently condemned as ungrammatical because it is said to combine a plural demonstrative (these; those) with a singular noun, kind. Historically, kind is an unchanged or unmarked plural noun like deer, folk, sheep, and swine, and the construction these kind of is an old one, occurring in the writings of Shakespeare, Swift, Jane Austen, and, in modern times, Jimmy Carter and Winston Churchill. Kind has also developed the plural kinds, evidently because of the feeling that the old pattern was incorrect. EXPANDThese kind of nevertheless persists in use, especially in less formal speech and writing. In edited, more formal prose, this kind of and these kinds of are more common. Sort of has been influenced by the use of kind as an unchanged plural: these sort of books. This construction too is often considered incorrect and appears mainly in less formal speech and writing
Kind (or sort) of as an adverbial modifier meaning “somewhat” occurs in informal speech and writing: Sales have been kind (or sort) of slow these last few weeks.
COLLAPSE
The phrase these (or those) kind of, followed by a plural noun (these kind of flowers; those kind of shoes) is frequently condemned as ungrammatical because it is said to combine a plural demonstrative (these; those) with a singular noun, kind. Historically, kind is an unchanged or unmarked plural noun like deer, folk, sheep, and swine, and the construction these kind of is an old one, occurring in the writings of Shakespeare, Swift, Jane Austen, and, in modern times, Jimmy Carter and Winston Churchill. Kind has also developed the plural kinds, evidently because of the feeling that the old pattern was incorrect. EXPANDThese kind of nevertheless persists in use, especially in less formal speech and writing. In edited, more formal prose, this kind of and these kinds of are more common. Sort of has been influenced by the use of kind as an unchanged plural: these sort of books. This construction too is often considered incorrect and appears mainly in less formal speech and writing
Kind (or sort) of as an adverbial modifier meaning “somewhat” occurs in informal speech and writing: Sales have been kind (or sort) of slow these last few weeks.
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To kinds
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
kind
"friendly," from O.E. gecynde "natural, native, innate," originally "with the feeling of relatives for each other," from P.Gmc. *gakundiz, from *kunjan (see kin), with collective prefix *ga- and abstract suffix *-iz. Sense development from "with natural feelings," to "well-disposed"
EXPAND(c.1300), "benign, compassionate" (c.1300). Kindly (adj.) is O.E. gecyndelic. Kind-hearted is from 1530s; kindness is from late 13c.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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