Kiss, kis, v.t. to press one's lips to in affection or reverence: to treat with fondness: to touch gently: to collide (of two billiard-balls).—v.i. to salute with the lips.—n. a salute with the lips.—ns. Kiss′-curl, a small curl at the side of the forehead; Kiss′er; Kiss′ing-com′fit, a perfumed comfit for sweetening the breath; Kiss′ing-crust, that part of the upper crust of the loaf which, while baking, overhangs the edge and touches another.—n.pl. Kiss′ing-strings, cap or bonnet strings tied under the chin.—n. Kiss′-me, the wild form of Viola tricolor, the pansy: a short veil: a small bonnet—also Kiss′-me-quick.—Kiss hands, to kiss the sovereign's hands on a minister's acceptance of office; Kiss of peace, a kiss of greeting exchanged between the members of the early Church, a shadow of which survives in the kissing of the pax at high mass; Kiss the book, to kiss a copy of the New Testament, in England, after taking a legal oath; Kiss the dust, to be felled to the ground, to be slain or vanquished; Kiss the gunner's daughter, to get a flogging, tied to the breech of a cannon; Kiss the rod, to submit to punishment. [A.S. cyssan, to kiss—coss, a kiss; Ger. küssen, Dan. kys; allied to choose and gust.]
Kist, kist, n. (Scot.) a chest.—Kist o' whistles, an organ. [A.S. cist.]
Kistvaen, kist′vā-en, n. a burial-chamber made of flat stones, and shaped like a chest. [W. cist, chest, maen, stone.]
Kit, kit, n. a small wooden tub: the outfit of necessaries of a soldier, sailor, or mechanic. [Old Dut. kitte, a hooped beer-can.]
Kit, kit, a small pocket violin. [Contracted from A.S. cytere—L. cythara, a guitar.]
Kit, kit, n. a contraction of kitten.—n. Kit′-cat, a game played with sticks and a small piece of wood called a cat.
Kit, kit, n. a family, in phrase 'the whole kit.' [Kith.]
Kitcat, kit′kat, n. the name of a Whig London literary club, which existed from 1700 to about 1720, meeting for some time in the house of a pastry-cook named Christopher Katt: a portrait 36 by 28 inches in size, so called from the portraits of the Kitcat Club painted by Sir G. Kneller.
Kitchen, kich′en, n. a room where food is cooked: a utensil with a stove for dressing food, &c.: anything eaten as a relish with bread, potatoes, &c.—v.t. (Shak.) to regale in the cook-room: to serve as relish to food, to make palatable, to use sparingly, as one would a relish—to make it last.—ns. Kitch′endom, the domain of the kitchen; Kitch′ener, a person employed in the kitchen: a cooking-stove; Kitch′en-fee, the fat which falls from meat in roasting; Kitch′en-gar′den, a garden where vegetables are cultivated for the kitchen; Kitch′en-knave, a scullion; Kitch′en-maid, a maid or servant whose work is in the kitchen; Kitch′en-mid′den (Dan. kjökkenmödding), a prehistoric rubbish-heap in Denmark, the north of Scotland, &c.; Kitch′en-phys′ic, substantial fare (Milt.); Kitch′en-range, a kitchen grate with oven, boiler, &c. attached, for cooking; Kitch′en-stuff, material used in kitchens: kitchen refuse, esp. fat from pots, &c.; Kitch′en-wench, a kitchen-maid. [A.S. cicen; Ger. küche, Fr. cuisine, all from L. coquina—coquĕre, to cook.]
Kite, kīt, n. a rapacious bird of the hawk kind: a rapacious person: a light frame covered with paper for flying in the air, attached to a long cord, by means of which it is steered: a light and lofty sail: an accommodation bill, esp. a mere paper credit.—n. Kite′-fly′ing, the dealing in fictitious accommodation paper to raise money. [A.S. cýta; cf. W. cud, Bret. kidel, a hawk.]