| KO |
abbreviation of "knockout," in boxing, the act of defeating an opponent by knocking him down for a count of ten. (See technical knockout.) |
| koala |
a furry marsupial, native to Australia, that climbs trees and feeds on eucalyptus leaves and bark; koala bear. |
| koan |
in Zen Buddhism, a nonsense question or paradox used as an aid to meditation in order to encourage a greater awareness of reality. |
| kobo |
the smaller monetary unit of Nigeria. (Cf. naira.) |
| kobold |
in Germanic folklore, a spirit or elf that haunts households. [2 definitions] |
| Kodiak bear |
an extremely large brown bear of coastal Alaska and British Columbia. |
| Kohinoor |
a large Indian diamond that is included in the British crown jewels. |
| kohl |
a powdered substance used esp. by women in some Eastern countries as eye makeup. |
| kohlrabi |
a plant of the cabbage family that has a bulbous, edible stem. |
| Kohoutek |
a comet first observed in 1973 and visible into 1974. |
| koine |
(sometimes cap.) the colloquial form of Greek widely spoken during the Hellenistic period and the period of the Roman Empire (often prec. by "the"). [2 definitions] |
| kola |
an extract prepared from the kola nut, used in beverages and medicines. [2 definitions] |
| kola nut |
the seed of the kola tree, which contains caffeine and theobromine and is used in soft drinks and medicines. |
| kolinsky |
any of several minks of northern Eurasia. [2 definitions] |
| Kol Nidre |
one of the most sacred prayers in the Jewish liturgy, recited at the beginning of religious services on Yom Kippur. |
| Komodo Dragon |
a carnivorous lizard of the monitor family found in Indonesia and, growing up to ten feet long, the largest species of lizard in the world. |
| komondor |
(often cap.) any of a Hungarian breed of dog having a large strong body with white fur that mats into hanging cords. |
| kook |
(slang) a person considered to be eccentric, strange, or crazy. |
| kopeck |
the smaller monetary unit of Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union. (Cf. ruble.) |
| koph |
the name of the nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. |
| Koran |
the fundamental sacred text of Islam, believed to have been revealed to Muhammad by Allah and serving as the basis of Muslim religion, law, and secular conduct. |