| keypunch |
to punch holes in (a card, tape, or the like) with a key punch. |
| key punch |
a machine, operated from a keyboard, that punches holes in cards or tape used in certain data processing systems. |
| key ring |
a metal loop or ring for holding keys. |
| key signature |
in music, the number of sharps or flats to the right of the clef on a staff, indicating the key. |
| keystone |
the central, wedge-shaped stone at the top of an arch. [2 definitions] |
| keystroke |
a stroke made on a typewriter or computer keyboard. |
| key up |
to bring to a state of intense feeling or agitation. |
| kg |
abbreviation of "kilogram," or "kilograms," a unit of weight equal to one thousand grams or 2.205 pounds. |
| KGB |
abbreviation of "Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezopastnosti" (Russian); Committee of State Security; formerly, the security and intelligence organization of the Soviet Union. |
| khaki |
a dull yellowish brown color. [5 definitions] |
| khamsin |
a hot south wind from the Sahara that blows in Egypt in the spring, sometimes bringing sand with it. |
| khan1 |
the ruler of the Tatars and Mongols in medieval times. [2 definitions] |
| khan2 |
in certain countries of the East and Middle East, an inn, esp. one with a large courtyard for keeping caravan animals. |
| Khartoum |
the capital of Sudan. |
| khedive |
the title of the Turkish viceroys who ruled Egypt from 1867 to 1914. |
| Khmer |
a member of one of the peoples of Cambodia. [2 definitions] |
| khoums |
the smaller monetary unit of Mauritania. (Cf. ouguiya.) |
| kHz |
abbreviation of "kilohertz," a unit of frequency equal to one thousand cycles per second or one thousand hertz; kilocycle. |
| kibble |
to grind or crush into coarse pieces. [2 definitions] |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| Kibei |
(sometimes l.c.) an offspring of Japanese immigrant parents who is born in the United States or Canada but educated in Japan. (See Issei, Nisei, Sansei.) |