kite Hear it!

kite definition

kite (kīt)

noun

  1. any of various accipitrine birds with long, pointed wings and, usually, a forked tail: they prey esp. on insects, reptiles, and small mammals
  2. Chiefly Brit. a greedy, grasping person
  3. a light frame, usually of wood, covered with paper, cloth, or plastic, to be flown in the wind at the end of a string
  4. the topmost sails of a ship, for use in a light breeze
  5. a bad check or similar fictitious or worthless financial instrument used to raise money or maintain credit temporarily

Etymology: ME < OE cyta, akin to MLowG kuten, to gossip < IE echoic base *gou-, to scream > Gr goan, to moan

intransitive verb kited kit′ed, kiting kit′·ing

  1. Informal
    1. to fly like a kite; soar
    2. to move lightly and rapidly
  2. to get money or credit by using bad checks, etc.

transitive verb

to issue (a bad check, etc.) as a kite
kite Idioms

go fly a kite!

go away and stop being a bother!

Comments


Do you have more to add? Sign in to share your linguistic knowledge or observation.

Connect with Facebook