kite
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: kīt
ipa: /kaɪt/
rhymes: -aɪt
Forms: form: kites
form: kight
form: kyte
Etymology: The noun is from Middle English kyte, kīte, kete (“a kite endemic to Europe, especially the red kite (Milvus milvus)”), from Old English cȳta (“kite; bittern”), from Proto-West Germanic *kūtijō, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *kūts (“bird of prey”), from Proto-Indo-European *gewH-d- (“to cry, screech”). The English word is cognate with Scots kyt, kyte (“kite; bird of prey”), Middle High German kiuzelīn, kützlīn (“owling”) (modern German Kauz (“owl”)). Possibly a doublet of coot.
Sense 3 (“lightweight toy”) is from the fact that it hovers in the air like the bird.
The verb is derived from the noun.
Senses: examples: text: A pair of kites built a nest on the cliff.
text: And yet the ſillie kight, well weyde in each degree,
 May ſerue ſometimes (as in his kinde) for mans commoditie.
 The kight can weede the worme from corne and coſtly ſeedes,
 The kight cã kill the mowldiwarpe, in pleaſant meads yͭ breeds:
 Out of the ſtately ſtreetes the kight can clenſe the filth,
 As mẽ can clẽſe the worthleſſe weedes frõ fruteful fallow tilth; […]
ref: 1575, George Gascoigne, “Councell to Duglasse Diue Written vpon This Occasion. …”, in The Posies of George Gascoigne Esquire. […], printed at London: For Richard Smith, […], →OCLC; republished in William Carew Hazlitt, compiler, The Complete Poems of George Gascoigne […] In Two Volumes, volume I, [London]: Printed for the Roxburghe Library, 1869, →OCLC, page 370:
text: Monſieur de Sanſſac was appointed to attend vpon him [Francis I of France] with all ſorts of Haukes, wherein the ſaide Emperour ſemed to take great delight, eſpecially with flying at the Kight, which the French call Voler le Milan, […]
ref: 1600, Thomas Danett, chapter 13, in A Continuation of the Historie of France, from the Death of Charles the Eight where Comines [i.e., Philippe de Commines] Endeth, till the Death of Henry the Second, London: Printed by Thomas East for Thomas Charde, →OCLC, page 91:
text: Kites flying aloft, ſhew Faire and Drie Weather. […] the Kite affecteth not ſo much the Groſſneſſe of the Aire, as the Cold and Freſhneſſe thereof; For being a Bird of Prey, and therefore Hot, ſhee delighteth in the Fresh Aire; And (many times) flyeth againſt the Wind, […]
ref: 1631, Francis [Bacon], “IX. Century. [Experiments in Consort, Touching Perception in Bodies Insensible, Tending to Natural Diuination, or Subtill Trialls.]”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC, paragraph 824, page 208:
text: I hope, that vile Carcaſs will firſt become a Prey to Kites and Worms.
ref: 1704, [Jonathan Swift], “A Full and True Account of the Battel Fought Last Friday, between the Antient and the Modern Books in St. James’s Library”, in A Tale of a Tub. […], London: […] John Nutt, […], published 1705, →OCLC, page 270:
glosses: A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
examples: text: The milvus, or kite, is a native of Europe, Asia, and Africa. […] Its motion in the air distinguishes it from all other birds, being so smooth and even that it is scarcely perceptible.
ref: 1816, G[eorge] Gregory, [Jeremiah Joyce], “FALCO”, in A Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. … In Three Volumes. […], 1st American edition, volume II, Philadelphia, Pa.: Published by Isaac Peirce, […], sold also by Coale and Maxwell, […], and James F. Shores, […]; Dennis Heartt, printer, →OCLC:
text: In Hindu erotic literature, to consummate sexual supremacy, a prescription often in use requires a mixture of honey and cowach, the prickly hairs of a tropical pod, along with the remains of a dead kite, in pulverized form.
ref: 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 133:
glosses: A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
Any bird of the subfamily Milvinae, with long wings and weak legs, feeding mostly on carrion and spending long periods soaring; specifically, the red kite (Milvus milvus) and the black kite (Milvus migrans).
synonyms: glede
examples: text: The ‘white-tailed’ kites in the genus Elanus (‘kite’) are small, gull-like, grey-and-white hawks with black forewing patches and varying amounts of black on the underwings.
ref: 2019, Stephen Debus, “Small Kites, Genus Elanus”, in Birds of Prey of Australia: A Field Guide, 3rd edition, Clayton South, Vic.: CSIRO Publishing, →ISBN, part II (Handbook), page 113:
glosses: A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
A bird of the genus Elanus, having thin pointed wings, that preys on rodents and hunts by hovering; also, any bird of related genera in the subfamily Elaninae.
examples: text: The swallow-tailed kite of the New World (Elanoides forficatus) is a striking black and white bird of the subfamily Perninae. It is about 60 cm (24 inches) long, including its long forked tail. It is most common in tropical eastern South America but also occurs from Central America to the United States.
ref: 2011, “Selected Falconiforms”, in John P. Rafferty, editor, Meat Eaters: Raptors, Sharks, and Crocodiles (Britannica Guide to Predators and Prey), New York, N.Y.: Britannica Educational Publishing in association with Rosen Educational Services, →ISBN, page 57:
glosses: A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
Some species in the subfamily Perninae.
examples: text: deteſted kite, thou li[e]ſt[.] [M]y traine, and^([sic – meaning are]) men of choiſe and rareſt parts, that all particulars of dutie knowe, and in the moſt exact regard, ſupport the worſhip of their name, [...]
ref: c. 1603–1606 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] His True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Nathaniel Butter, […], published 1608, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:
english: Detested kite, you lie! My train [i.e., knights in attendance] are men specially chosen for their rare qualities, know all the particulars of their duty, and most conscientiously uphold their reputation, […]
translation: Detested kite, you lie! My train [i.e., knights in attendance] are men specially chosen for their rare qualities, know all the particulars of their duty, and most conscientiously uphold their reputation, […]
bold_translation_offsets: 9
13
glosses: A rapacious person.
examples: text: On windy spring days, we would fly kites.
text: What for do ye want to get baker's bread, aunt? This dough will rise as high as a kite in the south wind.
ref: 1859 December 13, Elizabeth Gaskell, “The Ghost in the Garden Room”, in Charles Dickens, editor, The Haunted House. The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Whiting, […], →OCLC, page 38, column 1:
text: Housing a Dirigible […] When the ship is kept head on to the wind, it is easy enough to guide her, but when a wind blows across the mouth of the shed, every man's heart is in its throat. The ship offers so much more surface sidewise than endwise that she becomes an enormous kite.
ref: 1921 March, “Keeping Up with the March of Science: Facts for the Man who Wants to Know”, in Waldemar Kaempffert, editor, The Popular Science Monthly, volume 98, number 3, New York, N.Y.: Modern Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, page 71, column 1:
glosses: A lightweight toy or other device, traditionally flat and shaped like a triangle with a segment of a circle attached to its base or like a quadrilateral (see sense 9), carried on the wind and tethered and controlled from the ground by one or more lines.
examples: text: The purpose of the water kite is to float beneath or beside the ship at a depth sufficient to insure safety.
ref: 1906 September 12, “Water Kites”, in Fairbanks Evening News, Fairbanks, Ak.: Tanana Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 2:
glosses: A tethered object which deflects its position in a medium by obtaining lift and drag in reaction with its relative motion in the medium.
examples: text: Frequently a kite formation is created by one of the planets in the trine by its opposition to another planet, which allows expulsion and redirection of the pent-up energy associated with a closed circuit.
ref: 1992, Erin Sullivan, Retrograde Planets: Traversing the Inner Landscape (Contemporary Astrology), London: Arkana Publishing, →ISBN, pages 144–145:
topics: astrology
human-sciences
mysticism
philosophy
sciences
glosses: A planetary configuration wherein one planet of a grand trine is in opposition to an additional fourth planet.
examples: text: But she said, "if this was a kite, he didn't realize that you don't have the float time of the old days," which made check-kiting easier.
ref: 1991 May 21, Alex Barnum, “Suspect named in kiting case”, in San Jose Mercury News, San Jose, Calif.: Mercury Herald Co., →OCLC, page 8E:
topics: banking
business
glosses: A blank cheque; a fraudulent cheque, such as one issued even though there are insufficient funds to honour it, or one that has been altered without authorization.
examples: text: The advantages which are alleged to belong to the district system [of banking] are the following:— […] as each bank will have an agent in London, the bills they draw will thus have two parties as securities, and the public will have a pledge that there is no excessive issue in the form of kites or accommodation bills.
ref: 1871, James W. Gilbart, “Section XI. The Administration of Joint-stock Banks, with an Inquiry into the Causes of Their Failures.”, in The Principles and Practice of Banking, new edition, London: Bell & Daldy, […], →OCLC, part I (Of Practical Banking), pages 324–325:
topics: business
finance
glosses: An accommodation bill (“a bill of exchange endorsed by a reputable third party acting as a guarantor, as a favour and without compensation”).
topics: cycling
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A rider who is good at climbs but less good at descents.
examples: text: A kite is a quadrilateral with exactly two pairs of adjacent congruent sides. Note that a parallelogram has opposite congruent sides, whereas the congruent sides of kites are adjacent. Therefore, a kite is also a parallelogram only when both pairs of adjacent congruent sides of the kite are congruent to each other, making the kite a rhombus.
ref: 2011, W. Michael Kelley, “Quadrilaterals”, in The Humongous Book of Geometry Problems: Translated for People Who Don’t Speak Math!!, New York, N.Y.: Alpha Books, →ISBN, page 216:
topics: geometry
mathematics
sciences
glosses: A polygon resembling the shape of a traditional toy kite (sense 3): a quadrilateral having two pairs of edges of equal length, the edges of each pair touching each other at one end.
examples: text: And did you know the Chiefie said that one of our kites went in the drink last night?
ref: 1944, Vocational Trends, volume 7:
text: This time, the engine roared and the kite rocked against the brakes then sluggishly rolled down the strip.
ref: 2004, Harry Foxley, Marking Time: A Soldier’s Story, Victoria, B.C.; Crewe, East Cheshire: Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 133:
topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
government
military
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
politics
war
glosses: An aeroplane or aircraft.
examples: text: Our good master keeps his kites up to the last moment, studding-sails alow and aloft, and, by incessant straight steering, never loses a rod of way.
ref: Richard Mayne (2000), “kite”, in The Language of Sailing, Chicago, Ill.; Manchester: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, →ISBN, page 162
topics: nautical
sailing
transport
glosses: In a square-rigged ship: originally a sail positioned above a topsail; later a lightweight sail set above the topgallants, such as a studding sail or a jib topsail.
examples: text: The key to a good gybe is to bring the spinnaker round to the old weather side before you begin, and then to steer to keep some wind in the kite.
ref: 2014, Tim Davison, “Symmetric Spinnakers”, in Skipper’s Cockpit Racing Guide: For Dinghies, Keelboats and Yachts, London: Adlard Coles Nautical, →ISBN, page 24:
topics: nautical
sailing
transport
glosses: A spinnaker (“supplementary sail to a mainsail”).
examples: text: Brill (Scophthalmus rhombus) Also known as kite or pearl. Brill reaches a maximum length of 75cm (29½in). It lives in the Eastern Atlantic, from Iceland to Morocco, throughout the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
ref: 2010, “Fish and Seafood”, in Helena Caldon, Fiona Corbridge, Mary Scott, Belinda Wilkinson, editors, The Cook’s Book of Ingredients, London: Dorling Kindersley, →ISBN, page 69:
glosses: The brill (Scophthalmus rhombus), a type of flatfish.
examples: text: Officers must maintain control by making sure their inmate count is correct, by checking inmates' passes as they walk the hall […] This helps prevent the occasional juggling of goods, gang communication, such as kites (a written request from one inmate to another), and inmate assaults, such as face cuts or stabbings.
ref: 2011, Gary L. Heyward, Corruption Officer: From Jail Guard to Perpetrator inside Rikers Island, New York, N.Y.: Atria Paperback, →ISBN, pages 69–70:
glosses: A (usually concealed) letter or oral message, especially one passed illegally into, within, or out of a prison.
Derived terms: word: Species of birds
taxonomic: Milvus migrans
word: black kite
taxonomic: Elanus caeruleus
word: black-winged kite
word: Brahminy kite
word: elanid kite
word: honey kite
word: Mississippi kite
word: pariah kite
taxonomic: Milvus milvus
word: red kite
word: snail kite
taxonomic: Elanoides forficatus
word: swallow-tailed kite
word: whistling kite
taxonomic: Milvus aegyptius
word: yellow-billed kite
word: Other terms
word: bow kite
word: box kite
word: cellular kite
word: desert kite
word: Eddy kite
word: fly a kite
word: fly the kite
word: go fly a kite
word: gyrokite
word: Hargrave kite
word: helikite
word: hellkite
word: high as a kite
word: higher than a kite
word: kiteboard
word: kiteboarding
word: kite buggy
word: kite fighting
word: kitefin
word: kite fishing
word: kite flying
word: kiteflying
word: kitefun
word: kite jump
word: kite jumper
word: kite jumping
word: kite-leaved poison
word: kiteless
word: kitelike
word: kitemaker
word: kitemaking
word: kitemark
word: kite runner
word: kitesurf
word: kitesurfer
word: kite surfing
word: kitish
word: kytoon
word: Malay kite
word: paper kite butterfly
word: parakite
word: polykite
word: power kite
word: powerkite
word: rotor kite
word: shufti kite
word: snowkite
word: stunt kite