Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A set of articles or implements used for a specific purpose.
  • noun A container for such a set.
  • noun A set of parts or materials to be assembled.
  • noun A packaged set of related materials.
  • noun A collection of clothing and other personal effects used for travel or by a soldier.
  • noun A container, such as a bag or knapsack, for storing or holding such a collection.
  • idiom (the (whole) kit and caboodle) The entire collection or lot.
  • noun A tiny, narrow violin used by dancing masters in the 1600s and 1700s.
  • noun A kitten.
  • noun One of the young of certain other fur-bearing mammals, especially a fox or rabbit.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A dialectal and Middle English variant, of cut.
  • noun A family; a brood.
  • To pack in kits for market: as, kitted mackerel, as distinguished from barreled mackerel.
  • noun A pail, small tub, box, or chest containing or for holding particular commodities or articles: as, a kit of mackerel; a kit of tools.
  • noun Hence An outfit of necessaries for a trade or occupation, or for some special purpose: as, a traveler's or an angler's kit. A mechanic's kit comprises the tools required for his work; a soldier's or sailor's kit, such personal necessaries as he has to provide at his own cost.
  • noun A basket; especially, a straw or rush basket.
  • noun In photography, a flat rectangular frame fitted into a plate-holder to enable it to carry a plate smaller than the size for which it is made.
  • noun A kitten.
  • noun A light woman.
  • noun A miniature violin, about sixteen inches long, having three strings. It was once much used by dancing-masters, because it was small enough to be carried iu the pocket, whence its French name pochette.
  • noun A kind of cement.
  • noun A fish, the smear-dab.
  • noun An English fanciers' term for a small flock of pigeons, particularly tumblers.
  • noun A bag or basket woven of native flax, used by the Maoris.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To cut.
  • noun A kitten.
  • noun (Zoöl.) a small burrowing fox (Vulpes velox), inhabiting the region of the Rocky Mountains. It is brownish gray, reddish on the breast and flanks, and white below. Called also swift fox.
  • noun A small violin.
  • noun A large bottle.
  • noun A wooden tub or pail, smaller at the top than at the bottom.
  • noun Prov. Eng. A straw or rush basket for fish; also, any kind of basket.
  • noun A box for working implements.
  • noun A collection of tools or other objects to be used for a specific purpose, often contained in a box which may be carried conveniently; a working outfit, as of a workman, a soldier, and the like.
  • noun A group of separate parts, things, or individuals; -- used with whole, and generally contemptuously.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a school of pigeons, especially domesticated, trained pigeons
  • noun kitten
  • noun kit fox
  • noun a kit violin
  • noun A circular wooden vessel, made of hooped staves.
  • noun A kind of basket made from straw of rushes, especially for holding fish; by extension, the contents of such a basket, used as a measure of weight.
  • noun A collection of items forming the equipment of a soldier, carried in a knapsack.
  • noun Any collection of items needed for a specific purpose, especially for use by a workman, or personal effects packed for travelling.
  • noun A collection of parts sold for the buyer to assemble.
  • noun UK, informal Clothing.
  • noun computing, informal A full software distribution, as opposed to a patch or upgrade.
  • verb transitive To assemble or collect something into kits or sets or to give somebody a kit. See also kit out and other derived phrases.
  • adjective Something which came originally in kit form.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English kitte, wooden tub, probably from Middle Dutch.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Origin unknown.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Short for kitten.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

ca. 1880, from German kitte, kütte.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

16th century, perhaps from cithara

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

A short form of kitten. From the 16th century (spelled kytte, kitt). From the 19th century also extended to other young animals (mink, fox, muskrat, etc.), and to a small species of fox ("kit-fox").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

English from the 14th century, from a Dutch kitte, a wooden vessel made of hooped staves. Related to Dutch kit "tankard". The further etymology is unknown.

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Examples

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  • Citation (verb) on cleg.

    June 29, 2008

  • i second the preference for kit the verb.

    February 13, 2009

  • "kit" in Hungarian means: who(m)

    August 1, 2012