k Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun the basic unit of thermodynamic temperature adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
kelvin.
noun a light soft silver-white metallic element of the alkali metal group; oxidizes rapidly in air and reacts violently with water; is abundant in nature in combined forms occurring in sea water and in carnallite and kainite and sylvite
potassium; atomic number 19.
noun the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
yard; G; thou; thousand; grand; M; chiliad; one thousand; 1000.
noun a unit of information equal to 1000 bytes
kilobyte; kB.
noun a unit of information equal to 1024 bytes
kilobyte; KiB; kibibyte; kB.
noun the 11th letter of the Roman alphabet
noun street names for ketamine
jet; honey oil; super acid; green; super C; cat valium; special K.
adjective satellite denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000 items or units
one thousand; thousand; m; 1000.

, (), the eleventh letter of the English alphabet, is nonvocal consonant. The form and sound of the letter K are from the Latin, which used the letter but little except in the early period of the language. It came into the Latin from the Greek, which received it from a Phoenician source, the ultimate origin probably being Egyptian,. Etymologically K is most nearly related to c, g, h (which see). In many words of one syllable k is used after c, as in crack, check, deck, being necessary to exhibit a correct pronunciation in the derivatives, cracked, checked, decked, cracking; since without it, c, before the vowels e and i, would be sounded like s. Formerly, k was added to c in certain words of Latin origin, as in musick, publick, republick; but now it is omitted. See Guide to Pronunciation , §§ 240, 178, 179, 185.