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The Kaaba is the square-shaped building in the centre of the Great Mosque in Mecca. It is towards this building (and not Mecca) that Muslims face when praying.
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The kab was an ancient Hebrew unit of capacity equal to about 3.5 pints.
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The kabuki is a traditional Japanese form of drama with highly stylised song, mime and dance, performed solely by male actors.
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In Judaism, Kaddish is an Aramaic prayer that glorifies God and asks for the speedy coming of his kingdom on earth. Originally recited at the conclusion of rabbinic scriptural exposition, the prayer now takes a variety of forms and serves several liturgical functions. A brief form, called half Kaddish, concludes each part of the worship service and is recited at the end of the Sabbath Torah-reading in the synagogue. A longer form, whole Kaddish, is recited at the end of the Tefillah, the major prayer section of each service. A third form, the rabbis' Kaddish, is recited after Talmud study. The best- known form is that recited by mourners at the conclusion of the worship service. A fifth form, recited as part of the funeral service at the graveside, includes a petition for the resurrection of the dead. The medieval association of the Kaddish with mourners is based on a folk belief that this prayer is efficacious in releasing the souls of the dead from purgatory.
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A kadin was a woman of the Sultan of Turkey's harem.
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A kago is a kind of Japanese litter. Originally they were constructed of basketwork and slung on a pole which was carried on the shoulders of the bearers. Later they were made of wood.
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A kahili is a Hawaiian symbol of royalty. It is a feathered standard used on ceremonial occasions.
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A kainga is a Maori settlement or village.
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Kajang is a matting made from dried palm leaves in the East Indies. They are typically used for roofing, awnings and mats.
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A kajawah is a wooden frame litter carried by a camels and used for transporting women in some middle-eastern countries.
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A kakemono is a Japanese unframed pictured. They are usually painted or inscribed on silk or paper.
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A kalian is an Iranian type of hookah.
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The Kama Sutra is an ancient Sanskrit treatise on the art of love and methods of sexual intercourse.
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Kamagraphy is a process for making copies of original paintings using a special press and treated canvas, which reproduces the original colours and texture of the brushstrokes.
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A kampong is a Malaysian village or enclosure.
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A kang is a Chinese stove used for warming rooms. The term also describes a Chinese brick or wooden bed warmed from below by a fire.
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A kangri is a small wicker-covered, clay-lined pot filled with glowing charcoal and carried next to the skin by Kashmiris for warmth.
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The Kansas Aid Society was a Congressional association formed in 1854 for the purpose of aiding free immigration into Kansas to prevent the establishment of slavery, which had been made possible by the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act then recently adopted. Slavery advocates from Missouri were at that time active in endeavouring to bring about the establishment of slavery.
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The Kansas-Nebraska Bill was an American Act of Congress. Under the provisions of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, which was passed by Congress on May the 22nd, 1854, Kansas and Nebraska were separated And organized into Territories. The importance of this bill lay in the fact that it practically repealed the Missouri Compromise. In the bill as reported by Stephen A Douglas, the question of slavery in the two Territories was to be settled within the Territories, and if adopted the fugitive slave law was to apply. The status of Nebraska was easily settled as a free Territory, but the question caused much trouble in Kansas. The passage of the act had much to do with bringing on the American Civil War.
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The kantar is an Arab unit of weight. It varies between localities, but in Egypt is equal to about 45 kg.
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A kantharos was a Greek and Roman two-handled cup with a deep bowl set upon a short stem with a foot.
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The kantikoy is a type of party, with ceremonial dancing among the Algonquian Indians.
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Kapok or silk cotton, is a silky fibre obtained from the hairs covering the seeds of the kapok tree or silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra). Kapok is used for stuffing pillows. Mattresses and cushions and for sound insulation.
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A karabiner is a metal, oval or D shaped coupling link used in conjunction with ropes in mountaineering. It has a spring-operated clip which may also have a screw fastening to prevent accidental opening.
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The karaburan is a hot, dusty wind which blows in central Asia.
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In Indian philosophy, karma is the sum total of one's actions, good or bad, that are attached to the soul as it transmigrates, each new body (and each event experienced by that body) being determined by previous karma. The belief in karma, which can be traced to the Upanishads, is accepted by all Hindus, although they differ on many points: Some aspire to amass good karma and a good rebirth, but others, regarding all karma as bad, strive for release from the process of rebirth (samsara) altogether; some believe that karma determines all that happens to one, whereas others attribute a larger role to destiny, divine intervention, or human effort. One form of karma (prarabdha) is determined at birth and worked out during the present life; another form (sanchita) remains latent during this life; and a third (sanchiyamana), amassed in this lifetime, matures in a future life.
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A karrozzin is a four-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage used in Malta. It has a covered, curtain-sided carriage for the passengers with the driver sitting exposed in front.
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Kauri gum is fossilised copal found in New Zealand.
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The kayser is the unit of wave number (number of waves in a unit length), used in spectroscopy. It is expressed as waves per centimetre, and is the reciprocal of the wavelength. A wavelength of 0.1 cm has a wave number of 10 kaysers.
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In 1628, William Bradford and others, of the Plymouth colonists, obtained a grant of territory for fishing purposes along the Kennebec and Cobbiseecontee Rivers. This was sold, in 1661, to Tyng and others, and was called the 'Kennebec Purchase'. This grant was made by the Council for New England.
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Kentish Fire is rhythmical hand-clapping (sometimes reinforced by stamping) adopted at political meetings either to express approval or to interrupt the speaker. It is so called because it was first heard in Kent during the anti- Catholic agitation of 1828.
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The Kentucke Gazette was the first important newspaper of Kentucky. It was established at Lexington, Kentucky on August the 18th, 1787 and continued until 1862.
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The Kentucky Resolutions were the outgrowth, together with the Virginia Resolutions, of a feeling in the United States that the Federal party was making a strained and illegitimate use of the powers granted to the Federal Government by the American Constitution. The resolutions were directly due to the passage of the Alien and Sedition laws. The Kentucky Resolutions were framed by Thomas Jefferson, and introduced, in 1798, into the Kentucky Legislature by John Breckenridge. They were passed for the purpose of defining the strict construction view of the relative powers of State and Government.
There were nine in number. They declared that the Union was not based on the principle of unlimited submission to the General Government; that the Constitution was a compact, to which each State was a party as over against its fellow States; and that, in all cases not specified in the compact each party had a right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode and measure of redress. They proceeded to set forth the unconstitutionality of the Alien and Sedition Acts, and invited other States to join in declaring them void. No favourable response was evoked. In 1799 the Kentucky Legislature went further, and declared a nullification of a Federal law by a State to be the rightful remedy in cases of Federal usurpation. Upon these resolutions the doctrines of nullification and secession in the USA were later founded.
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The Kenya Wildlife Service is a Kenyan governmental wildlife protection and conservation body formed in 1989 to combat poaching. The Kenya Wildlife Service is comprised of armed rangers who patrol the bush and track poachers who are arrested, or shot. In Kenya the people have a motto 'Save The Rhino - Shoot The Poacher'.
In 1990 the Kenya Wildlife Service started a veterinary services department with responsibility for 'maintaining viable, healthy and breeding wildlife populations in Kenya'.
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Ket's Rebellion was a revolt in July 1549 instigated by William Ket, a tanner, of Wymondham, Norfolk. He demanded the abolition of enclosures and the dismissal of evil counsellors. The insurgents amounted to 20,000 men, but were quickly defeated by the earl of Warwick. More than 2000 were killed, and Ket and some others were tried and hanged.
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In mining, a kibble is a large bucket, originally of wood and later steel, which is used for conveying ore and debris to the surface.
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A Kibbutz is a co-operative village, or communal farm, in Israel, where all property is collectively owned and work is organised on a collective basis. Members contribute by working according to their capacity and in return receive food, clothing, housing, medical services, and other domestic services according to their needs. Dining rooms, kitchens, and stores are central, and schools and children's dormitories are communal. Each village is governed by an elected assembly. Although most kibbutzim are entirely agricultural, some have manufacturing industries. The first kibbutz was founded on the bank of the Jordan River in 1909. This type of community was necessary to the early Jewish immigrants to Palestine. By living and working collectively, they were able to build homes and to begin to irrigate and farm the barren desert land. Each person could contribute individual abilities to the growth of the community. Since many kibbutzim were established along Israel's frontiers after independence in 1948, they became important in the defence of the new nation. Strategically located kibbutzim have been subject to attack from Palestinian forces. Kibbutz members, although a small percentage of the Israeli population, wield much political power.
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The kibitka was a Russian horse-drawn vehicle of various sizes, made completely covered, entirely open or with a hood behind. It was a wheeled vehicle, but during snowy weather was mounted on a single pair of long runners and to prevent upsetting was provided with a guard-frame extending some 40 cm each side of the vehicle. A kibitka was a tent used by the nomad tribes of the Kirghiz Tartars. It consisted of twelve stakes set in a circle twelve feet in diameter, and covered with a thick cloth made of sheep's wool.
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In Judaism, Kiddush is a prayer recited on the Sabbath, at festivals, and the New Year, acknowledging the sanctity of the holy day and concluding with the formula, 'Praised be Thou, O Lord, who sanctifies the Sabbath, ' or 'who sanctifies Israel and the festivals.' Before a festive meal on the eve of the Sabbath or holiday, the Kiddush is recited over a cup of wine by the head of the household. It includes the customary blessing over the wine and is accompanied by biblical verses. The wine benediction and biblical verses are also recited before the large first meal on the morning of the Sabbath or festival. No food can be eaten before the Kiddush is recited. It is also traditional to recite the Kiddush in the synagogue at the conclusion of the evening and morning services. This custom originally was instituted for the benefit of travellers who might be lodging and eating at the synagogue over the Sabbath or festival.
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The kilderkin was a British unit of measurement applied to beer equal to two firkins (18 gallons).
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The kin was a Japanese unit of weight equal to 1.3228 lbs.
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King James' bible, known as the Authorised version, is a version of the bible undertaken by command of King James I and first published in 1611 in line with King James' own interpretations.
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The King's sceptre is part of the British Crown Jewels and contains the largest part of the Star of Africa diamond which weighs over 516 carats.
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Kinship is human relations based on biological descent and marriage. Kinship is founded on social differences and cultural creations. In all societies, the links between blood relatives and relatives by marriage are assigned certain legal, political, and economic significance that does not depend on biology. At the basis of kinship is the primary mother-child bond to which diverse cultures have added different familial relations. Additional kin are recruited to this basic unit by the principle of descent, which connects one generation to the other in a systematic way and which determines certain rights and obligations across generations. Descent groups can be traced through both sexes (that is, ambilaterally) or through only the male or the female link (unilaterally). In unilaterally traced groups the descent is known as patrilineal if the connection is through the male line or matrilineal if it is through the female line.
Less frequent forms for tracing descent are the parallel system, in which males and females each trace their ancestry through their own sex; and the cognatic method, in which the relatives of both sexes are considered, with little formal distinction between them. The study of kinship has directed much attention to the terms people use to classify and identify their relatives. Kin are everywhere categorised into distinct groups with specific roles and behaviour. The way in which people classify their kin has many practical applications. Thus, the familial relationships peculiar to a society will largely determine the allocation of rights and their transmission from one generation to the next. The succession of office and titles and the inheritance of property are implicit in the kinship system. Property can pass across generations in several ways, as, for example, from the mother's brother to the sister's son (in matrilineal societies); from the father to the father's younger brother (in some patrilineal cultures); or from the father to his son (in many patrilineal societies).
In some societies, kinship terms may also indicate how the family is split over the inheritance of goods and property. The Iatmul of New Guinea, for instance, assign five different terms to designate the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth child. In any quarrels over patrimony, the first and third children are expected to join forces against the second and the fourth. The evolution of kinship and its terminology has interested anthropologists since the mid- 1800s, when the American anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan developed his theory of kinship. He held that kinship terminology used in non-literate societies reflected a low level of culture and that the terminology common in civilised societies indicated an advanced stage of development. This theory was abandoned when the discovery was made that the limited number of kinship systems in use are found among both technologically simple and advanced peoples.
Some non-evolutionary theories see kinship terms as a result of culture borrowings and modifications, as a means of understanding aspects of the history of a particular society, or even as a linguistic phenomenon. The most common anthropological view, however, is a functional one that relates kinship terms to contemporary behaviour. In this theory, the terms are considered tools for understanding the ties between-and values of- people in any given society. Kinship is important in anthropological study because it is universal. It connotes certain basic human attachments made by all people, and it reflects the way in which people give meaning and ascribe importance to human interactions.
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A kirtle was a quantity of flax weighing about 100 lbs.
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Kissing is mouth contact with slightly pursed lips. Kissing and being kissed is pleasant partly because it triggers subconscious memories and instincts of early childhood, of feeding at the mother's breast and of feeding babies.
Deep kissing, in which the mouths are pressed together and the tongues probe within each other's mouths is a popular and common part of pair bonding in human beings and originates, probably, from the way in which mothers fed their young many years ago. In early civilisations mothers would chew food for their toddler and then feed it to them by mouth-to-mouth contact which involved pushing the food into the child's mouth with the tongue, much like birds still feed their young. Psychologically, kissing is a subconscious reminder of this feeding and being fed instinct - it is a relic gesture - and helps pair bonding between lovers.
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The kitchen cabinet were a coterie of intimate friends of American President Andrew Jackson, who were supposed to have more influence over his actions than his official advisers. They were: General Duff Green, editor of the United States Telegraph at Washington, the confidential organ of the administration; Major William B Lewis, of Nashville, Tennessee, Second Auditor of the Treasury, Isaac Hill, editor of the New Hampshire Patriot and Amos Kendall, of Kentucky, Fourth Auditor of the Treasury.
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Kiwanis International is an originally American and now international organisation of service clubs, composed of business and professional people, founded to render service to the community and to promote better business and professional standards. The name is derived from the Indian word keewanis (meaning 'to make oneself known') . The club motto is 'We build'. Local clubs are active in their communities, supporting law-enforcement and public-service agencies and promoting good citizenship. Many local clubs send underprivileged children to summer camps. The first Kiwanis club was organised in Detroit in 1915. In 1917 Kiwanis clubs were chartered in Canada; the name Kiwanis International was adopted at the 1924 national convention.
Kiwanis International now comprises several thousand local clubs in many countries. The Kiwanis Magazine, a monthly, is published from the national headquarters in Chicago.
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Kleptolagnia is the pursuit of sexual excitement or satisfaction through stealing.
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A knife is a cutting instrument, which in its simplest form comprises a blade with one long edge sharpened, fitted into a handle. A typical household knife is comprised of a blade, fitted into a handle separated by a bolster, and may be of one of three basic designs: back pointed, cutting edge pointed or tip pointed, with a smooth, scalloped or serrated cutting edge, all of which are suited to varying tasks. Scalloped edged blades are suited for cutting soft food which have a hard or firm peel such as bread or bacon. Serrated edged blades perform with a sawing action and facilitate a first cut and are suitable for cutting soft and tough foods such as tomatoes and also cooked steaks.
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A knifeboard was formerly a seat running along the roof of a bus. They had become obsolete by the 1920's.
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Historically, a knight was an honourable military rank which was bestowed upon a noble who had served as a page and squire by the king. Today a knight is a social title bestowed upon people for supposed service to the crown or country, and entitles them to be called 'Sir' rather than 'Mister'.
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The knight's ward was formerly a superior compartment in Newgate prison to which those who paid a bribe were housed.
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Knighthood is the social rank of knight.
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The Knights of Labor was an early American trade union-like order founded in Philadelphia in 1869 by Uriah S Stevens and formally organized in 1871 for the protection of working people and the development of educated labour. It was secret until the name was made public in 1881. By that time nearly all trades were represented. It was governed by a national executive board and local assemblies which had power to order strikes and boycotts. The chief strike ordered was that on the Missouri Pacific system in 1886. It failed.
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The Knights of St Catharine were a Russian military order founded by Peter the Great after his naval victory at Aland, and so named after his wife Catharine.
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The Italian order of Knights of the Annunciation, was instituted by Amadeus VI, duke of Savoy, in 1360. The king was always grand-master. The knights must be of high rank, and must already be members of the order of St Mauritius and St Lazarus. The decoration of the order consists of a golden shield suspended to a chain or collar of roses and knots, the letters F. E. R. T. being inscribed on the roses, and standing for Fortitudoejus Rhodum tenuit (its bravery held Rhodes).
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In timber, a knot is a hard cross-grained disfigurement formed where the parent stem puts out shoots that develop into branches.
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The knout was a Russian instrument of punishment. It consisted of a handle about 60 cm long, to which was fastened a flat leather thong about twice the length of the handle, terminating with a large copper or brass ring; to this ring was affixed a strip of hide about five centimetres broad at the ring, and terminating at the end of 60 cm in a point. This was soaked in milk and dried in the sun to make it harder, and should it fall, in striking, the culprit on the edge, it would cut like a penknife. The culprit was bound erect to two stakes to receive the specified number of lashes on the back, and the tail of the knout was changed at every sixth stroke. Punishment by the knout often resulted in the death of the victim. It was abolished by Tsar Nicholas I.
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Knowledge is practical understanding.
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The Knoxville Gazette was the earliest newspaper published in Tennessee, USA. It was established at Knoxville in 1793, by R Roulstone, the same year that printing was introduced into the State.
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The Koh-i-Noor diamond is a fabulous diamond of 106 carats and is mounted in the State Crown.
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Kowtow is a Chinese ceremony of prostration that was performed by mandarins and others before the emperor. It involved going down on all fours and touching the ground with the forehead three, four or sometimes nine times.
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Kremvax was originally, a fictitious Usenet site at the Kremlin, announced on April 1, 1984 in a posting ostensibly originated there by Soviet leader Konstantin Chernenko. The posting was actually forged by Piet Beertema as an April Fool's joke. Other fictitious sites mentioned in the hoax were moskvax and kgbvax.
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The Ku Klux Klan also called the White League, the Invisible Empire, and the Knights of the White Camelia are an American secret society. They were founded in 1866 at Pulaski, tennessee in the southern USA after the American Civil War originally organized purposes of amusement, it soon developed into an organisation to oppose reconstruction and to maintain white supremacy. Famous for its white robes and hoods, it spread fear among blacks to prevent them from voting. Its use as a cover for petty racist persecution alienated public opinion and the Klan was supposedly disbanded in 1869 by the order of the Government. However, it wasn't disbanded and laws in 1870 and 1871 attempted to suppress the Klan. The Klan reappeared in Georgia in 1915 and during the 1920s spread into the north and mid-west. It was responsible for some 1500 racist murders by lynching. At its height, the Klan boasted four million members and elected high federal and state officials, but it also aroused intense opposition. A series of scandals and internecine rivalries sent it into rapid decline. Klan activity increased during the 1950s and 1960s, as it violently opposed the civil rights movement. It survives at the local level in the southern states and during the early 1990s there was concern that support for the Klan was increasing.
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The kwan was a Japanese unit of weight equal to 8.2673 lbs.
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