king

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“
The court followed the king, and the king might be anywhere from York to the Garonne.

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Definitions (94)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (10)

  1. noun A male sovereign.
  2. noun One that is supreme or preeminent in a particular group, category, or sphere.
  3. noun The perfect, omniscient, omnipotent being; God.
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Examples (50)

  • Other plans of concealment for the king were accordingly formed that night, and measures were soon concerted, as we shall see in the next chapter, to effect his escape from the country. —  History of King Charles II of England
  • The business involved an interview with Philip II and, as the king was absent from the capital, Luis de Leon wrote to the University authorities explaining the situation, and suggesting that, in the interests of economy, the mission should be recalled. —  Fray Luis de Leon
  • First, though, they would be tortured and calumnies would be heaped upon them, for the king was accusing the Templars of paganism and sodomy, and also of worshipping the devil and of prostrating themselves before an idol they called Baphumet. —  The BROTHERHOOD of the HOLY SHRO
  • For he knew, that in the king's presence no part of his wrong would be hidden; and no wonder, for the king was a most acute investigator in passing sentence, as he was in all other things. —  The Life of King Alfred
  • At nine we sup; and when the king is not there, my aunts come to sup with us; but when the king is there, we go after supper to their rooms, waiting there for the king, who usually comes about a quarter to eleven; and I lie down on a grand sofa and go to sleep till he comes. —  The Life of Marie Antoinette
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Etymologies (4)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English cyning; see genə- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (3)

  1. from Middle English king, kyng, from Anglo-Saxon cyng, a late contracted form of the usual cyning = Old Saxon kuning = OFries. koning, kining, kening, keneng, also, with alteration of the suffix, konig, kenig, keneg = Old Dutch coninc, koninck, Dutch koning = Middle Low German konink, konnink, Low German koning, köning = Old High German chiming, kuninc, also, with alteration of the suffix, chunig, kunig, Middle High German kϋnic, kϋnec, contr. kϋnc, German könig, formerly also konig (with vowel due to Low German) = Icelandic konungr, contr. kongr = Swedish konung, contr. kung = Danish konge (a Gothic (Moesogothic) form, *kuniggs, is not recorded, and perhaps never existed, the usual word being thiudans = Anglo-Saxon theóden), a king, i. e. a chief, the chief man of a tribe, prob. literally ‘belonging to a tribe,’ or ‘descendant of a tribe’ (or ‘one of noble kin’?), from Anglo-Saxon cynn (= Goth, kuni, etc.), a race, tribe. kin (cf. Anglo-Saxon cyne- (= Old High German chuni-), in comp., of a king, perhaps a contr. form of cyning in comp., otherwise a related noun), + -ing, a common patronymic suffix: see kin and -ing. The exact notional relation of king with kin is undetermined, but the etymological relation is hardly to be doubted. The asserted identity of the word with Sanskrit janaka, a father, is false.” There is no connection, as alleged, with can and cunning.
  2. from king, n.
  3. Chinese
 

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/kɪŋ/
by American Heritage
by Tony Tam

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