Added 9 October 2026
kite
/kaɪt/ noun
In Latin: milvus Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about kite at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae.
A pair of kites built a nest on the cliff.
- Any bird of the subfamily Milvinae, with long wings and weak legs, feeding mostly on carrion and spending long periods soaring; specifically, the red kite (Milvus milvus) and the black kite (Milvus migrans).
- A bird of the genus Elanus, having thin pointed wings, that preys on rodents and hunts by hovering; also, any bird of related genera in the subfamily Elaninae.
verb
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To cause (something) to move upwards rapidly like a toy kite; also to cause (something, such as costs) to increase rapidly.
Rising interest rates have kited the cost of housing.
- 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.
- To keep ahead of (an enemy) and repeatedly attack it from a distance, without exposing oneself to danger.
noun
noun
- A measure of weight equivalent to ⁄10 deben (about 0.32 ounces or 9.1 grams).
Origin
The noun is from Middle English kyte, kīte, kete (“a kite endemic to Europe, especially the red kite (Milvus milvus)”), from Old English cȳta (“kite; bittern”), from Proto-West Germanic *kūtijō, diminutive of Proto-West Germanic *kūt (“bird of prey”), from Proto-Indo-European *gewH-d- (“to cry, screech”). The English word is cognate with Scots kyt, kyte (“kite; bird of prey”), Middle High German kiuzelīn, kützlīn (“owling”) (modern German Kauz (“owl”)). Possibly a doublet of coot. Sense 3 (“lightweight toy”) is from the fact that it hovers in the air like the bird. The verb is derived from the noun.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)