kite
/ˈkiːtɛ/
Frequency: 3.55 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
noun
A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
noun
A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
noun
A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
noun
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.
noun
A tethered object which deflects its position in a medium by obtaining lift and drag in reaction with its relative motion in the medium.
noun
A planetary configuration wherein one planet of a grand trine is in opposition to an additional fourth planet.
Example Sentences
- "A pair of kites built a nest on the cliff."
- "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; […]"
- "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, […]"
- "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, […]"
- "I hope, that vile Carcaſs will firſt become a Prey to Kites and Worms."
- "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."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /kaɪt/
- British English: /kaɪt/
Usage
- Slang
- Dated
- British usage
- American usage
- Transitive verb
- Intransitive verb
- Countable
- Uncountable