Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913 + 1828)

Page 819

Knowleching

Knowl"ech*ing (?), n. Knowledge. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Knowledge

Knowl"edge (?), n. [OE. knowlage, knowlege, knowleche, knawleche. The last part is the Icel. suffix -leikr, forming abstract nouns, orig. the same as Icel. leikr game, play, sport, akin to AS. lāc, Goth. laiks dance. See Know, and cf. Lake, v. i., Lark a frolic.]

1. The act or state of knowing; clear perception of fact, truth, or duty; certain apprehension; familiar cognizance; cognition.

Knowledge, which is the highest degree of the speculative faculties, consists in the perception of the truth of affirmative or negative propositions. Locke.

2. That which is or may be known; the object of an act of knowing; a cognition; -- chiefly used in the plural.

There is a great difference in the delivery of the mathematics, which are the most abstracted of knowledges. Bacon.

Knowledges is a term in frequent use by Bacon, and, though now obsolete, should be revived, as without it we are compelled to borrow cognitions" to express its import. Sir W. Hamilton.

To use a word of Bacon's, now unfortunately obsolete, we must determine the relative value of knowledges. H. Spencer.

3. That which is gained and preserved by knowing; instruction; acquaintance; enlightenment; learning; scholarship; erudition.

Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 1 Cor. viii. 1.

Ignorance is the curse of God; - Knowledge, the wing wherewith we fly to heaven. Shak.

4. That familiarity which is gained by actual experience; practical skill; as, a knowledge of life.

Shipmen that had knowledge of the sea. 1 Kings ix. 27.

5. Scope of information; cognizance; notice; as, it has not come to my knowledge.

Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldst take knowledge of me? Ruth ii. 10.

6. Sexual intercourse; -- usually preceded by carnal; as, carnal knowledge. Syn. -- See Wisdom.

Knowledge

Knowl"edge, v. t. To acknowledge. [Obs.] Sinners which knowledge their sins." Tyndale.

Known

Known (?), p. p. of Know.

Know-nothing

Know"-noth`ing (?), n. A member of a secret political organization in the United States, the chief objects of which were the proscription of foreigners by the repeal of the naturalization laws, and the exclusive choice of native Americans for office. &hand; The party originated in 1853, and existed for about three years. The members of it were called Know-nothings, because they replied I don't know," to any questions asked them in reference to the party.

Know-nothingism

Know"-noth`ing*ism (?), n. The doctrines, principles, or practices, of the Know-nothings.

Knubs

Knubs (?), n. pl. Waste silk formed in winding off the threads from a cocoon.

Knuckle

Knuc"kle (?), n. [OE. knokel, knokil, AS. cuncel; akin to D. knokkel, OFries. knokele, knokle, G. knöchel, Sw. knoge, Dan. knokkel, G. knochen bone, and perh. to E. knock.]

1. The joint of a finger, particularly when made prominent by the closing of the fingers. Davenant.

2. The kneejoint, or middle joint, of either leg of a quadruped, especially of a calf; -- formerly used of the kneejoint of a human being.

With weary knuckles on thy brim she kneeled sadly down. Golding.

3. The joint of a plant. [Obs.] Bacon.

4. (Mech.) The joining pars of a hinge through which the pin or rivet passes; a knuckle joint.

5. (Shipbuilding) A convex portion of a vessel's figure where a sudden change of shape occurs, as in a canal boat, where a nearly vertical side joins a nearly flat bottom.

6. A contrivance, usually of brass or iron, and furnished with points, worn to protect the hand, to add force to a blow, and to disfigure the person struck; as, brass knuckles; -- called also knuckle duster. [Slang.] Knuckle joint (Mach.), a hinge joint, in which a projection with an eye, on one piece, enters a jaw between two corresponding projections with eyes, on another piece, and is retained by a pin which passes through the eyes and forms the pivot. -- Knuckle of veal (Cookery), the lower part of a leg of veal, from the line of the body to the knuckle.

Knuckle

Knuc"kle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Knuckled (?);; p. pr. & vb. n. Knuckling (?).] To yield; to submit; -- used with down, to, or under. To knuckle to. (a) To submit to in a contest; to yield to. [Colloq.] See To knock under, under Knock, v. i. (b) To apply one's self vigorously or earnestly to; as, to knuckle to work. [Colloq.]

Knuckle

Knuc"kle, v. t. To beat with the knuckles; to pommel. [R.] Horace Smith.

Knuckled

Knuc"kled (?), a. Jointed. [Obs.] Bacon.

Knuff

Knuff (?), n. [Cf. Cnof a churl.] A lout; a clown. [Obs.]

The country knuffs, Hob, Dick, and Hick, With clubs and clouted shoon. Hayward.

Knur

Knur, n. [See Knurl.] A knurl. Woodward.

Knurl

Knurl (?), n. [See Knar, Gnar.] A contorted knot in wood; a crossgrained protuberance; a nodule; a boss or projection.

2. One who, or that which, is crossgrained.

Knurl

Knurl (?), v. t. To provide with ridges, to assist the grasp, as in the edge of a flat knob, or coin; to mill.

Knurled

Knurled (?), a.

1. Full of knots; gnarled.

2. Milled, as the head of a screw, or the edge of a coin.

Knurly

Knurl"y (?), [Compar. Knurlier (); superl. Knurliest.] [See Knur, and cf. Gnarly.] Full of knots; hard; tough; hence, capable of enduring or resisting much.

Knurry

Knur"ry (?), a. Full of knots. [Obs.] Drayton.

Koaita

Ko*ai"ta (?), n. (Zoöl.) Same as Coaita.

Koala

Ko*a"la (?), n. A tailless marsupial (Phascolarctos cinereus), found in Australia. The female carries her young on the back of her neck. Called also Australian bear, native bear, and native sloth. <-- and koala bear. -->

Kob, Koba

Kob (?), Ko"ba (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of African antelopes of the genus Kobus, esp. the species Kobus sing-sing.
Kobalt
Ko"balt (?), n. See Cobalt.
Kobellite
Ko"bel*lite, n. [From Franz von Kobell, of Munich.] (Min.) A blackish gray mineral, a sulphide of antimony, bismuth, and lead.
Kobold
Ko"bold (?), n. [G., perh. orig., house god, hose protector. See Cobalt] A kind of domestic spirit in German mythology, corresponding to the Scottish brownie and the English Robin Goodfellow.
Kodak
Ko"dak (?), n. A kind of portable camera.
Koel
Ko"el (?), n. [Native name in India.] (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of cuckoos of the genus Eudynamys, found in India, the East Indies, and Australia. They deposit their eggs in the nests of other birds.
Koff
Koff (?), n. [D. kof.] A two-masted Dutch vessel.
Kohinoor, Kohnur
Koh`i*noor", Koh`*nur (?), n. [Per. koh-i-nr, lit., mountain of light.] A famous diamond, surrendered to the British crown on the annexation of the Punjab. According to Hindoo legends, it was found in a Golconda mine, and has been the property of various Hindoo and Persian rulers.
Kohl
Kohl (?), n. [See Alcohol.] A mixture of soot and other ingredients, used by Egyptian and other Eastern women to darken the edges of the eyelids.
Kohl-rabi
Kohl"-ra`bi (?), n.; pl. Kohl-rabies (#). [G. Cf. Cole, Rape the plant.] (Bot.) A variety of cabbage, in which the edible part is a large, turnip-shaped swelling of the stem, above the surface of the ground.
Kokama
Ko*ka"ma (?), n. (Zoöl.) The gemsbok.
Koklass
Ko"klass (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any pheasant of the genus Pucrasia. The birds of this genus inhabit India and China, and are distinguished by having a long central and two lateral crests on the head. Called also pucras.
Kokoon
Ko*koon" (?), n. (Zoöl.) The gnu.
Kolarian
Ko*la"ri*an (?), n. (Ethnol.) An individual of one of the races of aboriginal inhabitants which survive in Hindostan. -- a. Of or pertaining to the Kolarians.
Komenic
Ko*me"nic (?), a. [Prob. G. mekonin (by transposition of letters) + -ic.] (Chem.) Of or pertaining to, or designating, an acid derived from meconic acid. [Written also comenic.]
Komtok
Kom"tok (?), n. (Zoöl.) An African freshwater fish (Protopterus annectens), belonging to the Dipnoi. It can breathe air by means of its lungs, and when waters dry up, it encases itself in a nest of hard mud, where it remains till the rainy season. It is used as food.
Kon
Kon (?), v. t. To know. See Can, and Con. [Obs.]
Ye konnen thereon as much as any man. Chaucer.

Konite
Ko"nite (?), n. (Min.) See Conite.
Konze
Konze (?), n. (Zoöl.) A large African antelope (Alcelaphus Lichtensteini), allied to the hartbeest, but having shorter and flatter horns, and lacking a black patch on the face.
Koodoo
Koo"doo (?), n. (Zoöl.) A large South African antelope (Strepsiceros kudu). The males have graceful spiral horns, sometimes four feet long. The general color is reddish or grayish brown, with eight or nine white bands on each side, and a pale dorsal stripe. The old males become dark bluish gray, due to the skin showing through the hair. The females are hornless. Called also nellut. [Written also kudu.]
Kookoom
Koo"koom (?), n. (Zoöl.) The oryx or gemsbok. [Written also kookaam.]
Koolokamba
Koo`lo*kam"ba (?), n. (Zoöl.) A west African anthropoid ape (Troglodytes koolokamba, or T. Aubryi), allied to the chimpanzee and gorilla, and, in some respects, intermediate between them.
Koolslaa
Kool"slaa` (?), n. See Coleslaw.
Koord
Koord (?), n. See Kurd.
Koordish
Koord"ish, n. See Kurdish.
Koorilian
Koo*ril"i*an (?), a & n. Same as Kurilian.
Kopeck
Ko"peck (?), n. [Russ. kopeika.] A small Russian coin. One hundred kopecks make a rouble, worth about sixty cents<-- in 1910, but three hundredths of a cent at the end of 1994. By 1992, obsolete and no longer minted. -->. [Written also kopek, copec, and copeck.]
Koran
Ko"ran (?; 277), n. [Ar. gorān. See Alcoran.] The Scriptures of the Mohammedans, containing the professed revelations to Mohammed; -- called also Alcoran. [Written also Kuran or Quran.]
Korin
Ko"rin (?), n. (Zoöl.) The gazelle.
Korrigum
Kor"ri*gum (?), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) A West African antelope (Damalis Senegalensis), allied to the sassaby. It is reddish gray, with a black face, and a black stripe on the outside of the legs above the knees.
Kosmos
Kos"mos (?), n. See Cosmos. Gladstone.
Kotow
Ko*tow" (?), n. [Chinese, knock head.] The prostration made by mandarins and others to their superiors, either as homage or worship, by knocking the forehead on the ground. There are degrees in the rite, the highest being expressed by three knockings. [China]<-- now now kowtow --> S. W. Williams.
Kotow
Ko*tow", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Kotowed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Kotowing.] To perform the kotow.<-- now kowtow -->
Koulan
Kou"lan (?), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) A wild horse (Equus, or Asinus, onager) inhabiting the plants of Central Asia; -- called also gour, khur, and onager. [Written also kulan.] &hand; It is sometimes confounded with the dziggetai, to which it is closely related. It is gray in winter, but fulvous in summer. It has a well defined, dark, dorsal stripe, and a short, erect mane. In size, it is intermediate between the horse and ass.
Koumiss
Kou"miss (?), n. [Russ. kumys; of Mongolian origin.] An intoxicating fermented or distilled liquor originally made by the Tartars from mare's or camel's milk. It can be obtained from any kind of milk, and is now largely made in Europe. [Written also koumyss, kumiss, kumish, and kumys.]
Koumiss has from time immemorial served the Tartar instead of wine or spirits. J. H. Newman.

Kousso
Kous"so (?), n. (Bot.) An Abyssinian rosaceous tree (Brayera anthelmintica), the flowers of which are used as a vermifuge. [Written also cusso and kosso.]
Kowtow
Kow*tow" (?), n. & v. i. The same as Kotow.
I have salaamed and kowtowed to him. H. James.

Kra
Kra (?), n. (Zoöl.) A long-tailed ape (Macacus cynomolgus) of India and Sumatra. It is reddish olive, spotted with black, and has a black tail.
Kraal
Kraal (?; 277), n. [D., a village, inclosure, park, prob. fr. Pg. curral a cattle pen; the same word as Sp. corral. See Corral.]
1. A collection of huts within a stockade; a village; sometimes, a single hut. [South Africa]
2. An inclosure into which are driven wild elephants which are to be tamed and educated. [Ceylon]
Krait
Krait (?), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) A very venomous snake of India (Bungarus cœruleus), allied to the cobra. Its upper parts are bluish or brownish black, often with narrow white streaks; the belly is whitish.
Kraken
Kra"ken (?), n. [Prob. from OSw. krake, or ODan. krage the trunk of a tree, the branches of which are not entirely cut off, to which it was likened by the Norwegian mariners.] A fabulous Scandinavian sea monster, often represented as resembling an island, but sometimes as resembling an immense octopus.
To believe all that has been said of the sea serpent or kraken, would be credulity; to reject the possibility of their existence, would be presumption. Goldsmith.

Like a kraken huge and black. Longfellow.

Krakowiak
Kra*ko"wi*ak (?), n. (Mus.) A lively Polish dance. See Cracovienne.
Krameria
Kra*me"ri*a (?), n. [NL. So called after the German botanists, J. G. H. & W. H. Kramer.] (Bot.) A genus of spreading shrubs with many stems, from one species of which (K. triandra), found in Peru, rhatany root, used as a medicine, is obtained.
Krameric
Kra*mer"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, Krameria (rhatany); as, krameric acid, usually called ratanhia-tannic acid.
Krang
Krang (?), n. [Cf. D. kreng a carcass.] The carcass of a whale after the blubber has been removed. [Written also crang and kreng.]
Kranging hook
Krang"ing hook` (?). (Whaling) A hook for holding the blubber while cutting it away. [Written also cranging hook.]
Kreatic
Kre*at"ic (?), a. See Creatic.
Kreatin
Kre"a*tin (?), n. (Chem.) See Creatin.
Kreatinin
Kre*at"i*nin (?), n. (Chem.) See Creatinin.
Kreel
Kreel (?), n.See Creel.
Kremlin
Krem"lin (?), n. [Russ. kremle.] The citadel of a town or city; especially, the citadel of Moscow, a large inclosure which contains imperial palaces, cathedrals, churches, an arsenal, etc. [Russia] <-- (metaphorically) the government of Russia (or, 1920-1992, of the Soviet Union) -->
Krems
Krems (?), n. A variety of white lead. See Krems lead, under Lead, n.
Kreng
Kreng (?), n. See Krang.
Kreosote
Kre"o*sote (?), n. See Creosote.
Kreutzer
Kreut"zer (?), n. [G. kreuzer.] A small copper coin formerly used in South Germany; also, a small Austrian copper coin. [Written also kreuzer.]
Kriegsspiel
Kriegs"spiel` (), n. [G., fr. krieg war + spiel play.] A game of war, played for practice, on maps. Farrow.
Kris
Kris (?), n. A Malay dagger. See Creese.
Krishna
Krish"na (), n. [Skr. .] (Hindoo Myth.) The most popular of the Hindoo divinities, usually held to be the eighth incarnation of the god Vishnu.