Added 1 October 2026
king
/ˈkɪŋ/ noun
In Latin: rēx Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about king at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
A male monarch; a man who heads a monarchy; in an absolute monarchy, the supreme ruler of his nation.
Henry VIII was the king of England from 1509 to 1547.
- The monarch with the most power and authority in a monarchy, regardless of sex.
- A male leader of a traditional Aboriginal group, often used as a title by colonists.
verb
noun
- Alternative form of qing (“Chinese musical instrument”).
Origin
From Middle English king, kyng, kynge, from Old English cening, cing, cining, cuning, cyncg, cyneg, cyng, cyngc, cynig, cyning, king, kining, kuning, kyning, kyningc (“king”), from Proto-West Germanic *kuning, from Proto-Germanic *kuningaz, *kunungaz (“king”), from *kunją (“clan, family, kin”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to produce; to beget”). Equivalent to kin + -ing. Doublet of cyning and knez.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)