Kryptonite                                                                       772
Kryp·ton·ite /'krɪptənaɪt/ n [U] a type of rock that comes from the PLANET Krypton in the SUPERMAN stories. It is harmful to Superman.
KS¹ /ˌkeɪ 'es/ n [U] abbrev. for KAPOSI'S SARCOMA
KS² written abbrev. for KANSAS
Kt written abbrev. for KNIGHT¹
K-12 /ˌkeɪ 'twelv/ adj AmE connected with the part of the US education system that includes KINDERGARTEN and GRADES 1–12 (ages 5–17). All education during these years is paid for by the government: a K-12 teacher (=able to teach any level from kindergarten to 12th grade) | the K-12 curriculum
K2 /ˌkeɪ 'tuː/ also Mount Godwin Austen the second highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest, on the border between Kashmir and China
Kua·la Lum·pur /ˌkwɑlə 'lʊmpə||-lʊm'pʊər/ the capital and largest city of Malaysia, established in the 19th century and an important business and industrial centre
Kub·lai Khan /ˌkuːblə 'kɑːn, -blaɪ-/ (1216–94) a Mongol EMPEROR of China from 1259 until his death, whose grandfather was Genghis KHAN. He moved the capital of China to Peking. There is a famous English poem about him called Kubla Khan, by Samuel Taylor COLERIDGE.
Ku·brick, Stanley /'kuːbrɪk/ (1928–99) a US film DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, and writer, whose films include 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971), and The Shining (1980)
ku·dos /'kjuːdɒs||'kuːdɑːs/ n [U] especially BrE public admiration and glory (for something done); PRESTIGE: He gained a lot of kudos by winning the literary competition.
Kud·row, Li·sa /'kʌdrə, 'liːsə/ (1963–) a US actress known especially for appearing as the character Phoebe Buffay in the television programme Friends. She has also appeared in several films, such as Analyze This.
Ku Klux Klan, the /ˌkuː klʌks 'klæn/ also the KKK or the Klan a secret US organization of Protestant white men who are opposed to people who belong to ETHNIC groups, especially African Americans, having equal rights with white people. It has often used violence against African Americans, especially during the CIVIL RIGHTS protests of the 1960s. Its members, who are called 'Klansmen', wear long loose white clothes and high pointed hats that hide their faces, and they are known for putting up burning crosses as a way of threatening people.
kum·quat, cumquat /'kʌmkwɒt||-kwɑːt/ n a very small sort of orange
kung fu /ˌkʌŋ 'fu/ n [U] a Chinese style of fighting without weapons that includes hitting with the hands and feet
Kurd /kɜːd||kɜːrd/ n 1 [C] a member of a people living in countries such as Iran, Iraq, and Turkey 2 the Kurds [P] a mostly Islamic people from an area called Kurdistan. The Kurds have often been badly treated and forbidden to speak their own language, especially in Iraq.
Kurd·ish /'kɜːdɪʃ||'kɜːrd-/ adj belonging to or connected with the Kurds or their language
Kurd·is·tan /ˌkɜːdɪ'stɑːn, -stæn||ˌkɜːrd-/ an area of land which consists of parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Armenia where the KURDS live, but which is not a separate country
Ku·ro·sa·wa, A·ki·ra /ˌkʊərə'sɑːwə, ə'kɪərə/ (1910–98) one of Japan's greatest film DIRECTORS, who is known internationally for films such as The Seven Samurai (1954) and Kagemusha (1980)
Kursk /kʊəsk||kʊərsк/ a Russian NUCLEAR SUBMARINE that sank in 2002. All 118 sailors on board died, but some people think that not enough was done to try and rescue them. This was the worst disaster to affect a Russian ship that was not at war.
Kurtz /kɜːts||kɜːrts/ a character in the novel HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph CONRAD. Kurtz is an educated white man in central Africa, who has stopped accepting Western values and has become the violent, powerful ruler of an African community.
Ku·wait /ku'weɪt/ an oil-producing country in the Middle East, north of Saudi Arabia and south of Iraq. Iraq attacked it in 1990 and took control of it, causing the GULF WAR, but was defeated in 1991 and forced to leave Kuwait. Population: 2,183,161 (2003). Capital: Kuwait City. —Kuwaiti n, adj
kw written abbrev. for KILOWATT(S)
kwash·i·or·kor /ˌkwɒʃi'ɔːkə||ˌkwɑːʃi'ːr-/ n [U] a tropical disease of children caused by not eating enough food containing PROTEIN
kwh written abbrev. for KILOWATT HOUR
Kwik-fit /'kwɪk fɪt/ trademark a British company that owns a chain of WORKSHOPS where tyres and EXHAUSTS (=the pipe at the back of a car that waste gas passes through) are fitted on cars
Kwik-save /'kwɪkseɪv/ trademark a chain of SUPERMARKETS (=a very large store that sells mainly food) in the UK, which is known for being cheaper than most other supermarkets
KY written abbrev. for KENTUCKY
KY jel·ly /ˌkeɪ waɪ 'deli/ trademark a type of GEL (=a thick, wet substance) used to LUBRICATE certain parts of the body such as the VAGINA. People sometimes make jokes about it because it is connected with sex.
Kyo·to Pro·to·col, the /ˌkiːəʊtəʊ 'prəʊtəkl||-koʊl/ an attempt to change an international agreement about the environment in order to limit the amount of CARBON DIOXIDE around the earth and reduce GLOBAL WARMING. Many countries signed the Kyoto Protocol but nations such as the US and Russia did not.
Kyr·gyz·stan /ˌkɜːgɪ'stɑːn||ˌkɜːrgɪ'stæn/ also Kirghizia a country in central Asia between China and Uzbekistan, which used to be part of the former SOVIET UNION. Population: 4,892,808 (2003). Capital: Bishkek.
Ky·u·shu /ki'u:ʃu:/ the most southern and the third largest of the main islands of Japan, whose main cities are Fukuoka and Nagasaki