KAOLIN, kä'o-lin, _n._ same as CHINA CLAY. [From the mountain _Kao-ling_
('high ridge') in China.]
KAPELLMEISTER, kä-pel'm[=i]s-ter, _n._ the director of an orchestra or
choir, esp. the band of a ruling prince in Germany. [Ger. _kapelle_,
chapel, orchestra, _meister_, master.]
KAPNOGRAPHY, kap-nog'ra-fi, _n._ the art of producing decorative designs on
a smoked surface with a fine point, shading by successive deposits of
carbon from a flame, fixed by varnish.--_adj._ KAPNOGRAPH'IC. [Gr.
_kapnos_, smoke, _graphia_--_graphein_, to write.]
KAPOK, ka-pok', _n._ a cottony or silky fibre covering the seeds of a
species of silk-cotton tree, used for stuffing pillows, &c.
KARAITE, k[=a]'rä-[=i]t, _n._ one of a stricter sect of Jews who cling to
the literal interpretation of Scripture as against oral tradition. [Heb.
_kara[=i]m_, readers.]
KARMA, kär'mä, _n._ the Buddhist conception of the quality of actions,
including both merit and demerit, determining the future condition of all
sentient beings by a sort of virtue inherent in the nature of things--by
the blind and unconscious but inevitable concatenation of cause and effect:
the theory of inevitable consequence generally: the result of the actions
of a life.--_adj._ KAR'MIC. [Sans. _karma_, work.]
KARMATHIAN, kär-m[=a]'thi-an, _n._ a member of a pantheistic socialistic
Mohammedan sect which arose in Turkey about the close of the 9th century.
[_Karmat_, its founder.]
KAROB, kar'ob, _n._ among goldsmiths, the twenty-fourth part of a grain.
KARROO, ka-r[=oo]', _n._ a generic name given to the high barren plains of
Cape Colony.--Also KAROO'. [Hottentot, _karusa_, hard.]
KASSU, kas'[=oo], _n._ a kind of catechu made from the fruit of the
betel-nut palm.
KAT, kat, _n._ the chief ancient Egyptian unit of weight, 1/50 lb.
avoirdupois.
KATABOLISM, kat-ab'ol-izm, _n._ (_biol._) the discharging or disruptive
process to which protoplasm is constantly subject--the opposite of
_Anabolism_, the up-building, constructive process.--Also CATAB'OLISM. [Gr.
_katabol[=e]_, _kataballein_, to throw down.]
KATAKANA, kat-a-kä'na, _n._ one of the two styles of writing the syllabary
of 48 letters in use among the Japanese (the other being _Hiragana_), used
chiefly for proper names and foreign words.
KATYDID, k[=a]-ti-did', _n._ an American insect akin to the grasshopper.
[Imit. of its note.]
KAURI-PINE, kow'ri-p[=i]n, _n._ a splendid forest-tree of New Zealand,
yielding the well-known KAU'RI-GUM, a resin used in making varnish.
KAVA, kä'va, _n._ _Piper methysticum_, also the narcotic drink prepared
from it.--Also A'VA.
KAVASS, ka-vas', _n._ an armed man attendant on a person of distinction in
Turkey.--Also CAVASS'. [Turk. _qawas_.]
KAW. Same as CAW.
KAY. Same as CAY.
KAYAK, ka'yak, _n._ a canoe used in Greenland, made of seal-skins stretched
on a frame.
KEA, k[=e]'ä, _n._ a New Zealand parrot that kills sheep.
KEB, keb, _v.i._ (_Scot._) to cast a lamb prematurely.--_n._ a ewe which
has cast its lamb: a sheep louse or tick.
KEBBIE, keb'i, _n._ (_Scot._) a cudgel.
KEBBOCK, keb'uk. _n._ (_Scot._) a cheese.--Also KEBB'UCK. [Gael. _cabag_, a
cheese.]
KEBLAH. See KIBLAH.
KECK, kek, _v.i._ to retch, feel loathing.--_n._ a retching.
KECK, KECKSY. See KEX.
KECKLE, kek'l, _v.t._ to preserve or protect by binding with old rope or
chains, as a cable:--_pr.p._ keck'ling; _pa.p._ keck'led.--_n._ KECK'LING,
rope, chains, &c. used to keckle cables or hawsers.
KEDGE, kej, _n._ a small anchor for keeping a ship steady, and for warping
the ship.--_v.t._ to move by means of a kedge, to warp.--_n._ KEDG'ER, a
kedge. [Scand.; cf. Sw. prov. _keka_, to drive slowly.]
KEDGE, kej, _adj._ (_prov._) brisk, lively: pot-bellied.--Also KEDG'Y,
KIDGE.
KEDJEREE, kej'e-r[=e], _n._ a mess of rice, cooked with butter and the
dholl pea, flavoured with spice, shred onion, &c., common all over India,
and often served at Anglo-Indian breakfast-tables. [Hind. _khichr[=i]_.]