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Krupp process

A process practiced by Friedrich Krupp, Essen, Germany, for washing pig iron, differing from the Bell process in using manganese as well as iron oxide, and performed in a Pernot furnace. Called also the Bell-Krupp process. A process for the manufacture of steel armor plates, invented or practiced by Krupp, the details of which are secret. It is understood to involve the addition of chromium as well as nickel to the metal, and to include a treatment like that of the Harvey process with unknown variations or additions. The product is mentioned by some authors, as improved Harvey, or Harvey-Krupp armor plate.

Kruppize

To treat by, or subject to, the Krupp process.

Krypton

An inert gaseous element of the argon (noble gas) group, of atomic number 36, occurring in air to the extent of about one volume in a million. It was discovered by Ramsay and Travers in 1898. Boiling point, -152.3/ C.; melting point, -156.6/ C.; symbol, Kr; atomic weight, 83.8.

Kshatruya Kshatriya

The military caste, the second of the four great Hindu castes; also, a member of that caste. See Caste.

Ku Klux Klan Ku Klux Kuklux

The name adopted in the southern part of the United States by a secret political organization, active for several years after the close of the Civil War, and having for its aim the repression of the political power of the freed negroes; -- called also Kuklux Klan and the Klan. It exerienced a revival in the 1920's, in the north as well as the south, and persists as a weak organization into the 1990's. Its goals were primarily anti-negro and anti-Catholic, and its tactics included terrorist attacks on negroes for the purpose of intimidation with the goal of continuing segregation. The signature activity of the Klan was the burning of a cross, either at rallies of Klansmen, or on the property of African-Americans which they hoped to intimidate.

Kuda

The East Indian tapir. See Tapir.

Kudos

To praise; to extol; to glorify.

Kukang

The slow lemur. See Lemur.

Kulturkampf

Lit., culture war; -- a name, originating with Virchow (1821 - 1902), given to a struggle between the Roman Catholic Church and the German government, chiefly over the latter's efforts to control educational and ecclesiastical appointments in the interest of the political policy of centralization. The struggle began with the passage by the Prussian Diet in May, 1873, of the so-called May laws, or Falk laws, aiming at the regulation of the clergy. Opposition eventually compelled the government to change its policy, and from 1880 to 1887 laws virtually nullifying the May laws were enacted.

Kummel

A Russian and German liqueur, consisting of a sweetened spirit flavored with caraway seeds.

kumquat

any of several trees or shrubs of the genus Fortunella (formerly Citrus) of the rue family (Rutaceae) (especially Citrus Japonica) growing in China and Japan bearing small orange-colored edible fruits with thick sweet-flavored skin and sour pulp; also, any of the small acid, orange-colored citrus fruits of such plants, used mostly for preserves.

kurakkan

An East Indian cereal grass (Eleusine coracana) whose seed yield a somewhat bitter flour, a staple in the Orient.

kurchatovium

A transuranic element of atomic number 104, symbol Ku; also called rutherfordium, symbol Rf. It is produced in very small quantities by nuclear reactions. In November 1993 the nomenclature committe of the American Chemical Society approved the name rutherfordium for element 104. Russsian investigators who claim to have first discovered element 104, isotope 260 (half-life 0.3 seconds) in 1964 at Dubna proposed the name kurchatovium. However, investigators at Berkely in 1969 produced several isotopes of element 104 but were unable to produce isotope 260; they reported finding isotope 257, with a half-life of 4-5 seconds, isotope 259 with a half-life of 3-4 seconds, and isotope 258 with a shorter half-life.

kurchi kurchee

A tropical Asian tree (Holarrhena antidysenterica syn. Holarrhena pubescens) with hard white wood and bark formerly used as a remedy for dysentery and diarrhea.

Kurd

A member of a people who inhabit a mountainous region of Western Asia, sometimes referred to as Kurdistan, spread over an area including adjoining parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Syria. The people of this region speak Kurdish and are mostly Moslem.

Kurdish

The language of the Kurds; it is related to Farsi, the modern Iranian language.

Kurilian

Of or pertaining to the Kurile Islands, a chain of islands in the Pacific ocean, extending from the southern extremity of Kamchatka to Yesso. A native or an inhabitant of the Kurile Islands.

Kursaal

A public hall or room, for the use of visitors at watering places and health resorts in Germany.

Kusimanse

A carnivorous animal (Crossarchus obscurus) of tropical Africa. It its allied to the civets. Called also kusimansel, and mangue.

Kussier

A Turkish instrument of music, with a hollow body covered with skin, over which five strings are stretched.

Kutauss

The India civet (Viverra zibetha).

kvass

A thin, sour beer, made by pouring warm water on rye or barley meal and letting it ferment, -- much used by the Russians.

Kwajalein

A battle of World War II (January 1944); American forces landed and captured a Japanese airbase.

Kwan-yin Kwan yin

A female Bodhisattva; often called Goddess of Mercy and considered an aspect of the Bodisattva Avalokitesvara; identified with Japanese Kwannon.

Kwannon

Japanese counterpart of the Chinese Kuan Yin.

kweek

A trailing grass (Cynodon dactylon) native to Europe, now cosmopolitan in warm regions; used for lawns and pastures especially in the Southern U. S. and India. Called also Bahama grass and Bermuda grass.

kwela

A kind of danceable music popular among black South Africans; it includes a whistle among its instruments.

Kyack

A pack sack to be swung on either side of a packsaddle.

Kyanize

To render (wood) proof against decay by saturating with a solution of corrosive sublimate in open tanks, or under pressure.

Kyanol

Aniline. A base obtained from coal tar.

Kyar

Cocoanut fiber, or the cordage made from it. See Coir.

Kyd

p. p. of Kythe.

Kydde

imp. of Kythe, to show.

Kyke

To look steadfastly; to gaze.

kylie Kyley

an Australian boomerang, having one side flat and the other convex.

Kyloes

The cattle of the Hebrides, or of the Highlands.

Kymograph

An instrument for measuring, and recording graphically, the pressure of the blood in any of the blood vessels of a living animal; -- called also kymographion.

Kymographic

Of or pertaining to a kymograph; as, a kymographic tracing.

Kynurenic

Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained from the urine of dogs. By decomposition the acid yields a nitrogenous base (called kynurin) and carbonic acid.

Kyrielle

A litany beginning with the words, /Kyrie eleison./

Kyriological

Serving to denote objects by conventional signs or alphabetical characters; as, the original Greek alphabet of sixteen letters was called kyriologic, because it represented the pure elementary sounds. See Curiologic.

Kyriology Kyriolexy

The use of literal or simple expressions, as distinguished from the use of figurative or obscure ones.

Kythe

To come into view; to appear.

L

Having the general shape of the (capital) letter L; as, an L beam, or L-beam.

L-plate

a square plate bearing the letter L that is attached to both ends of a car to indicate that the driver is a learner.

L.E.M. LEM

A lunar excursion module, a spacecraft designed to transport people from a command module in orbit around the moon to the surface of the moon and back again.

L'envoy L'envoi

One or more detached verses at the end of a literary composition, serving to convey the moral, or to address the poem to a particular person; -- orig. employed in old French poetry.

La

Look; see; behold; -- sometimes followed by you.

laager

A camp, especially one surrounded by a circular formation of travelers' wagons for temporary defense.

Laager

To form into, or camp in, a laager, or protected camp.

Laas

A lace. See Lace.

Lab

To prate; to gossip; to babble; to blab.

lab

Of or pertaining to a laboratory; as, a lab bench.

Labadist

A follower of Jean de Labadie, a religious teacher of the 17th century, who left the Roman Catholic Church and taught a kind of mysticism, and the obligation of community of property among Christians.

Labarum

The standard adopted by the Emperor Constantine after his conversion to Christianity. It is described as a pike bearing a silk banner hanging from a crosspiece, and surmounted by a golden crown. It bore a monogram of the first two letters (//) (which appear like the English letters X and P), of the name of Christ in its Greek form. Later, the name was given to various modifications of this standard.

Labefaction

The act of labefying or making weak; the state of being weakened; decay; ruin.

Label

To affix a label to; to mark with a name, etc.; as, to label a bottle or a package.

Labellum

The lower or apparently anterior petal of an orchidaceous flower, often of a very curious shape.

Labent

Slipping; sliding; gliding.

Labial

A letter or character representing an articulation or sound formed or uttered chiefly with the lips, as b, p, w.

Labialism

The quality of being labial; as, the labialism of an articulation; conversion into a labial, as of a sound which is different in another language.

Labialization

The modification of an articulation by contraction of the lip opening.

Labialize

To modify by contraction of the lip opening.

Labially

In a labial manner; with, or by means of, the lips.

Labiate

A plant of the order Labiat/.

Labidometer

A forceps with a measuring attachment for ascertaining the size of the fetal head.

Labile

Liable to slip, err, fall, or apostatize.

Lability

Liability to lapse, err, or apostatize.

Labiodental

Formed or pronounced by the cooperation of the lips and teeth, as f and v. A labiodental sound or letter.

Labionasal

Formed by the lips and the nose. A labionasal sound or letter.

Labioplasty

A plastic operation for making a new lip, or for replacing a lost tissue of a lip.

Labiose

Having the appearance of being labiate; -- said of certain polypetalous corollas.

Labipalpus

One of the labial palpi of an insect. See Illust. under Labium.

Labium

A lip, or liplike organ.

Lablab

an East Indian name for several twining leguminous plants related to the bean, but commonly applied to the hyacinth bean (Dolichos Lablab).

Labor

To work at; to work; to till; to cultivate by toil.

Labor-saving

Saving labor; adapted to supersede or diminish the labor of men; designed to replace or conserve human and especially manual labor; as, labor-saving machinery; labor-saving appliances{4}; labor-saving devices like washing machines.

Laboratory

The workroom of a chemist; also, a place devoted to experiments in any branch of natural science; as, a chemical, physical, or biological laboratory. Hence, by extension, a place where something is prepared, or some operation is performed; as, the liver is the laboratory of the bile.

Labored

Bearing marks of labor and effort; elaborately wrought; not easy or natural; as, labored poetry; a labored style.

Laborer

One who labors in a toilsome occupation; a person who does work that requires strength rather than skill, as distinguished from that of an artisan.

Laboring

That labors; performing labor; esp., performing coarse, heavy work, not requiring skill also, set apart for labor; as, laboring days.

Laborious

Requiring labor, perseverance, or sacrifices; toilsome; tiresome.

Laborless

Not involving labor; not laborious; easy.

Laborsome

Made with, or requiring, great labor, pains, or diligence.

labour

Same as labor; -- British spelling.

laboured

same as labored; -- British spelling

labourer

a laborer; someone who works with their hands.

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