kite

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.

   • A pair of kites built a nest on the cliff.
   • 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, […]
2. 2

   A rapacious person.

   • 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, [...]
3. 3

   A lightweight toy or other device, traditionally flat and shaped like a triangle with a…

   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.

   • On windy spring days, we would fly kites.
   • What for do ye want to get baker's bread, aunt? This dough will rise as high as a kite in the south wind.
4. ›+ 27 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      A tethered object which deflects its position in a medium by obtaining lift and drag in…

      A tethered object which deflects its position in a medium by obtaining lift and drag in reaction with its relative motion in the medium.

      • The purpose of the water kite is to float beneath or beside the ship at a depth sufficient to insure safety.
   2. 5

      A planetary configuration wherein one planet of a grand trine is in opposition to an…

      A planetary configuration wherein one planet of a grand trine is in opposition to an additional fourth planet.

      • 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.
   3. 6

      A blank cheque

      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.

      • 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.
   4. 7

      An accommodation bill (“a bill of exchange endorsed by a reputable third party acting as…

      An accommodation bill (“a bill of exchange endorsed by a reputable third party acting as a guarantor, as a favour and without compensation”).

   5. 8

      A rider who is good at climbs but less good at descents.

   6. 9

      A polygon resembling the shape of a traditional toy kite (sense 3)

      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.

   7. 10

      An aeroplane or aircraft.

      • And did you know the Chiefie said that one of our kites went in the drink last night?
      • This time, the engine roared and the kite rocked against the brakes then sluggishly rolled down the strip.
   8. 11

      In a square-rigged ship

      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.

      • 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.
   9. 12

      A spinnaker (“supplementary sail to a mainsail”).

      • 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.
   10. 13

       The brill (Scophthalmus rhombus), a type of flatfish.

       • 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.
   11. 14

       A (usually concealed) letter or oral message, especially one passed illegally into,…

       A (usually concealed) letter or oral message, especially one passed illegally into, within, or out of a prison.

   12. 15

       To cause (something) to move upwards rapidly like a toy kite

       To cause (something) to move upwards rapidly like a toy kite; also (chiefly US, figuratively) to cause (something, such as costs) to increase rapidly.

       • Rising interest rates have kited the cost of housing.
       • Lombard swung at the sweet pea he had dropped, caught it neatly with the toe of his shoe, and kited it upward with grim zest, as though doing that made him feel a lot better.
   13. 16

       To tamper with a document or record by increasing the quantity of something beyond its…

       To tamper with a document or record by increasing the quantity of something beyond its proper amount so that the difference may be unlawfully retained; in particular, to alter a medical prescription for this purpose by increasing the number of pills or other items.

       • Pharmacists have kited Medicaid prescriptions by raising the number of pills called for on a prescription blank from, say, 100 to 200, and billing Medicaid for the larger amount.
   14. 17

       To keep ahead of (an enemy) and repeatedly attack it from a distance, without exposing…

       To keep ahead of (an enemy) and repeatedly attack it from a distance, without exposing oneself to danger.

   15. 18

       To attack (an enemy) or otherwise cause it to give chase, so as to lead it somewhere…

       To attack (an enemy) or otherwise cause it to give chase, so as to lead it somewhere (like a kite is led on a string), for example into a trap or ambush or away from its comrades or something it was protecting.

       • I hate it when my knight is kited away from the castle that I'm attacking!
   16. 19

       To (cause to) glide in the manner of a kite (“bird”).

       • If you're pulling or kiting a creature and it aggros an innocent passer-by, it's your fault and you should apologize.
       • The wind kited us toward shore.
   17. 20

       To manipulate like a toy kite

       To manipulate like a toy kite; also, usually preceded by an inflection of go: to fly a toy kite.

       • Want to go kite with me this weekend?
       • Finally, if you have no one to fly a kite with, you can kite alone.
       • Only during the brief time of experimentation with flight that preceded the invention of the airplane, when kites fired the western imagination with visions of human flight, did kiting become significant.
   18. 21

       To write or present (a cheque) on an account with insufficient funds, either to defraud…

       To write or present (a cheque) on an account with insufficient funds, either to defraud or expecting that funds will become available by the time the cheque clears.

       • He was convicted of kiting checks and sentenced to two years in prison.
       • The fame and money brought in by Only in America meant no more name changes, no need to kite checks, and no sneaking past the landlord.
   19. 22

       To steal.

       • Andy also kept a box of that [steel wool] in his cell, although he didn't get it from me—I imagine he kited it from the prison laundry.
       • Little bastards were always trying to kite stuff, particularly the candy and the girly magazines.
   20. 23

       To travel by kite, as when kitesurfing.

       • We spent the afternoon kiting around the bay.
       • If we kited again, it would be very dangerous with the steep slope and the heavy weight crashing on behind us and, in any event, Pat and Dave's kites were ridiculously tangled.
       • A rare north wind and conditions of good visibility allowed me to try my luck at kiting again. Without stopping for chocolate and taking quick gulps of energy orange from my Thermos, I kited 117 miles in one day.
   21. 24

       To move rapidly

       To move rapidly; to rush.

       • They commenced whipping their horses at the base, and, as one of the prisoners expressed it, "they went kiting up the hill, and for nearly a mile after the summit had been gained."
       • […] the big boy stuck his foot out so she fell. Nursie saw and started for her, but she scrambled up and went kiting for the bench, and climbed on it, […]
   22. 25

       To deflect sideways in the water.

       • This column action causes the tow line to kite either to the port or the starboard side, […]
   23. 26

       To pass a (usually concealed) letter or oral message, especially illegally, into, within,…

       To pass a (usually concealed) letter or oral message, especially illegally, into, within, or out of a prison.

       • Prison Hall in Central Hospital was claimed by some patients to be "organized" in the more extensive manner of prisons for the sane. Here, it was claimed, an attendant could be bribed to "kite" a letter or bring in contraband, […]
       • I have been working like a dam mule this morning and just found time to kite you.
   24. 27

       The stomach

       The stomach; the belly.

       • Don't live like vegetarians On food they give to parrots, Blow out your kite, from morn 'til night, On boiled beef and carrots.
   25. 28

       A measure of weight equivalent to ¹⁄₁₀ deben (about 0.32 ounces or 9.1 grams).

       • The scribe of the temple Sedy set out with the pure priest and goldsmith Tuty for the frames; they removed one deben and three and a half qite of gold, which they took for the chief of the gang Pameniu.
   26. 29

       A surname.

   27. 30

       A minor city in Johnson County, Georgia, United States, named after Shaderick Kight, who…

       A minor city in Johnson County, Georgia, United States, named after Shaderick Kight, who chose the spelling.

The neighborhood