The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (42 page)

jusqu'au bout (zhasko boo) FRENCH
[up to the end] adverb phrase to the
very end; until a conclusion is reached: "In 1916, the generals were unanimous in
their belief that the campaign should be
pursued jusqu'au bout."

jus sanguinis (yas sangwinis) LATIN
[right of blood] noun phrase in law, the
rule that a child's citizenship depends
upon that of its parents: "The argument
over the child's nationality was eventually
decided on the basis of jus sanguinis."

jus soli (yas solee) LATIN [right of
the soil] noun phrase in law, the rule
that a child's citizenship depends on
its place of birth: "The court eventually
accepted his plea for citizenship on the
grounds ofjus soli."

juste milieu (fast milt') FRENCH [fair
mean] noun phrase the happy medium
or middle course, used especially of
government policy: "You will put him in
a fury, he'll try to be calm, though inwardly
fuming; but, all the same, you will enlighten
a man of talent as to the peril in which
he really stands; and you will also have
the satisfaction of laming the horses of the
juste-milieu' in their stalls..." (Honore
de Balzac, Daughter of Eve, 1838-39).

juvenilia (joovanileea) LATIN [youthful things, neuter plural of juvenilis
young] plural noun the immature
works of a composer, artist, or writer,
or alternatively works intended primarily for the young: "In later years
the old man found this and other of his
juvenilia embarrassing in the extreme."

Kaaba (kabba) ARABIC [cubic building] noun the square stone shrine
in the court of the great mosque at
Mecca, Saudi Arabia to which all Muslims turn in their daily prayers: "For a
pilgrimage is what it is. The devotees come
from the very ends of the earth to worship
their prophet in his own Kaaba in his own
Mecca." (Mark Twain, What is Man and
Other Essays, 1906).

kabaddi (kubadee) TAMIL [of uncertain origin] noun a sport of Indian
origin in which two teams of seven
players take turns to try to tag or capture members of the opposing team
while holding their breath and chanting "kabaddi."

kabala See CABALLA.

kabob See KEBAB.

kabuki (kabookee) JAPANESE [song
and dance art] noun a genre of traditional Japanese drama combining
dance, stylized movement, and music:
"Several European writers were influenced by performances of kabuki in the early
years of the century"

kaddish (kahdish) ARAMAIC [from
qaddis holy] noun a Jewish liturgical prayer spoken in each of the three
daily services in synagogues and also
in the course of mourning rituals: "The
mourners listened to the recital of the kaddish in complete silence."

kaffeeldatsch (kafeeklach, kafiklach)
GERMAN [coffee gossip] noun informal conversation over cups of coffee, or a meeting at which such
conversation takes place: "Her clothes
always smelled of savory cooking, except
when she was dressed for church or kaffeeklatsch, and then she smelled of bay
rum or of the lemon-verbena sprig which
she tucked inside her puffy black kid
glove." (Willa Cather, The Song of the
Lark, 1915).

kaffiyeh (kafeeya), keffiyeh ARABIC
[after Al Kufa, Iraq] noun an Arabic
headdress comprising a folded square
of cloth kept in place by a cord: "Street hawkers pressed the band of tourists with
kaffiyehs to take home as souvenirs."

kaftan See CAFTAN.

kagoule See CAGOULE.

kai (ki) MAORI [food] noun food:
"The soldiers were offered some kai at the
canteen."

kairos (kiros) GREEK [right time]
noun the most propitious time for
something, or the critical point.

kaiser (klz3r) GERMAN [emperor,
ruler, derived from Latin Caesar
emperor] noun title borne by the former emperor of Germany and Austria:
"A remarkable man this Von Bork a man
who could hardly be matched among all
the devoted agents of the Kaiser" (Arthur
Conan Doyle, "His Last Bow," 1917).

kakemono (kakamono) JAPANESE
[hanging object] noun a vertical
Japanese calligraphic scroll or picture, usually unframed and painted
on paper or silk: "The museum has
acquired several fine examples of Japanese
kakemono."

kama (kahmh) SANSKRIT [love] noun
love.

Kama Sutra (kahma sootrd) SANSKRIT
[love rule] noun the title of an ancient
Sanskrit treatise on the subject of sexual technique and thus any reference

source detailing sexual practices: "He
was surprised to find a new edition of
the Kama Sutra in the library's reference
section."

kamerad (kamerad, kamarahd) GERMAN [comrade] interjection I surrender: "When it got nothing by screaming
and stffening, however, it suddenly grew
quiet; regarded him with pale blue eyes,
and tried to make itself comfortable against
his khaki coat. It put out a grimy little
fist and took hold of one of his buttons.
Kamerad, eh?' he muttered, glaring at the
infant. `Cut it out!"' (Willa Cather, One
of Ours, 1922).

kamikaze (kamikahzee) JAPANESE
[divine wind, recalling a typhoon that
fortuitously scattered the invading
fleet of Kublai Khan in 1281] noun a
pilot in a Japanese suicide squadron,
as employed against Allied shipping
in the latter stages of World War II;
since applied more widely to anyone
who behaves with suicidal recklessness with regard to their own safety.
''adjective of or relating to a suicide
attack, or to a person who shows little
regard for his or her own welfare:
"The kamikaze tactics of the Japanese
airforce caused considerable consternation
among the crews."

kana (kahna) JAPANESE [false character] noun a Japanese system of
syllabic writing that includes characters useful for the transliteration of
foreign words.

kanaka (kanaka, kanak) HAWAIIAN
[person] noun a South Pacific
islander or native Hawaiian: I see
only one mistake: the cook is not a
Chinaman; he is a Kanaka, and, I think,
a Hawaiian" (Robert Louis Stevenson, The Wrecker, 1892).

kangaroo (kangaroo) AUSTRALIAN
ABORIGINE [from Guugu Yimidhirr
ganurru] noun an herbivorous leaping marsupial (famil), Macropodidae)
of Australia and New Guinea, distinguished by its small head, sturdy hind
legs, and long, thick tail.

kanji (kanjee) JAPANESE [from Chinese
han zi Chinese characters] noun a
Japanese system of writing based on
Chinese characters.

kaolin (ka),olin) CHINESE [after Gaoling hill, Jiangxi province, China, from
gaoling high hill] noun a high quality
white clay used in ceramics manufacture and medicine, first imported to
Europe from Gaoling hill in China:
"The supply of kaolin was severely disrupted by the outbreak of war."

kapellmeister (kelmistar) GERMAN
[choir master] noun a choir or orchestra director: "Rosamond played admirably. Her master at Mrs. Lemon's school
(close to a county town with a memorable
history that had its relics in church and
castle) was one of those excellent musicians here and there to be found in our
provinces, worthy to compare with many

a noted Kapellmeister in a country which
offers more plentiful conditions of musical
celebrity." (George Eliot, Middlemarch,
1871 72).

kaput (kptuut, k5pa0t) GERMAN [tired,
exhausted, derived from French titre
capot to be without tricks in piquet]
adjective finished, defeated, destroyed,
dead, broken, unable to function, or
hopelessly outmoded: "The radio went
kaput after the accident."

karakul (karakal) RUSSIAN [after
the village of Karakul, Uzbekistan]
noun a breed of hardy, wiry-coated
sheep from Uzbekistan, raised primarily for the curly fleeces of newborn lambs of the breed.

karaoke (kareeokee) JAPANESE [empty
orchestra] noun the pastime of singing along with a prerecorded backing track; also the electronic device
used to play the recorded background
music. -adjective of or relating to such
music-making: A karaoke machine was
installed in the bar and proved an instant
success."

karate (karahtee) JAPANESE [empty
hand] noun a system of defensive unarmed combat in which an
opponent is disabled with kicks and
punches: "She had been trained in karate
since childhood."

karma (kahrma) SANSKRIT [fate,
deed] noun destiny, fate, or, in Hindu and Buddhist theory, the influence
that an individual's actions has upon
his or her migration to a new plane
of existence: "They are diametrically
opposed to the philosophy of Karma and
of reincarnation, which are the tenets of
theosophy" (Mar), Baker Eddy, Pulpit
and Press, 1895).

karoshi (karoshee) JAPANESE noun
[from karo overwork and shi death]
death through overwork.

kasbah See CASBAH.

kashrut (kashrOOt) HEBREW [fitting]
noun the body of Jewish dietary laws
encompassing both the preparation
and consumption of food.

katakana (katakahna) JAPANESE [side
kana] noun a form of the kana writing system, which incorporates symbols for many foreign words and
scientific terms.

katharsis See CATHARSIS.

katzenjammer (katzanjamar) GERMAN
[from Katze cat and jammer wailing,
distress] noun a harsh noise or confused and discordant uproar, as of the
caterwauling of cats; can also refer
to a hangover, headache, or distress in
general.

kayak (kiak) INUIT [from gayak]
noun a one- or two-person Eskimo
canoe made of animal skins and pro

pelled by paddles, with one or more
circular openings for the occupants.
Also used of any other small boat
based on a similar design. verb to
paddle such a canoe: "In the end, they
settled on kayaking for two weeks in the
Rockies."

kebab (kebab, kabab), kabob, kebob
(kibab, kabab) ARABIC [possibly
derived via Turkish kebap from Persian] noun cubes of marinated meat
grilled or roasted with vegetables on
a skewer: "That evening, they dined off
kebabs covered in chili sauce."

kedgeree (kJaree) HINDI [from Sanskrit khicca] noun a dish of rice,
beans, lentils, and white or smoked
fish, sometimes served with hardboiled eggs and cream: "Informer times,
hunters in England would have kedgeree
for breakfast before their day's sporting
activities."

keffiyeh See KAFFIYEH.

kendo (kendo) JAPANESE [sword art]
noun Japanese sport of fencing with
two-handed bamboo swords: "Interest
in the Japanese art of kendo has increased
sign)cantly in recent years."

kepi (kepee, kkipee) FRENCH [from
German kappi cap] noun a peaked
military cap, with a flat top and cloth
visor to shield the neck from sunburn:
"The chin strap of his kepi was gilt, and on
his sleeve there was a little strip of gold" (Vicente Blasco Ibanez, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1919).

khaki (kakcc, kahkee) URDU [dustcolored] noun a dusty brownish yellow color, as widely used for military
uniforms. 'adjective of or relating to
this color, or to uniforms or other
garments of a khaki color: "But little
they cared for the Native Press, / The
worn white soldiers in Khaki dress, / Who
tramped through the jungle and camped
in the byre, / Who died in the swamp and
were tombed in the mire, who gave up their
lives, at the Queen's Command, / For the
Pride of their Race and the Peace of the
Land." (Rudyard Kipling, "The Ballad
of Boh DaThonc," 1888).

khalifa See CALIPH.

khan (kahn) TURKISH [from han
prince] noun a ruler of certain parts
and peoples of medieval central Asia,
including China and Mongolia: `But
to our subject: a brave Tartar khan- /
Or `sultan,' as the author (to whose nod /
In prose I bend my humble verse) doth
call / This chieftain--somehow would not
yield at all ..." (Lord Byron, Don Juan,
1819-24).

khat (kat) ARABIC [from qat] noun a
shrub (Catha edulis) grown in Africa
and the Middle East for its leaves and
buds, which have stimulant properties
when chewed or drunk as tea: "The
bearers sat in the shade, chewing khat and
brushing away the flies."

kia-ora (keea ora) MAORI [be well]
interjection good luck, or an expression of greeting.

kibbutz (kibuuts) HEBREW [from qibbus
gathering] noun (plural kibbutzim,
kibuutsim) a communal settlement or
collective farm in Israel run as a cooperative by and on behalf of its own
members: "Several students arranged to
spend their vacation working on a kibbutz
in the Holy Land."

kibbutznik (kibuutsnik) HEBREW
[from qibbus gathering] noun a member of a kibbutz: "A mob of angry kibbutzniks blocked the main entrance into
the settlement."

kibitzer (kibitsar, Ubitsar) YIDDISH
[from German kiebitzen to be an
onlooker, from Kiebitz lapwing, peewit, or onlooker] noun a person who
offers unwanted advice or opinions,
particularly to players of card games.

kiblah (kibla) ARABIC [from qibla
that which is opposite] noun the
direction in which Muslims turn to
pray (specifically, toward the Kaaba
at Mecca).

kiddush (kidoosh, kidash) HEBREW
[from qiddush sanctification] noun a
formal blessing pronounced on holy
days by the head of the household in
Jewish homes, usually over wine or
bread: "The priest led them in the recital
of the kiddush for one last time."