Definitions

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

  • noun The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The Greek letter K: represented in English by k, and sometimes by c.
  • noun The Greek letter κ: represented in English by k, and sometimes by c.

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

  • noun mythology A tortoise-like creature in the Japanese mythology.
  • noun The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet

Etymologies

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

[Greek, of Phoenician origin; see kpp in Semitic roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Japanese 河童 (kappa, "water imp").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek κάππα (kappa).

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Examples

  • It tells the story of Asuka, a humble fishery employee who falls in love with a mythical aquatic creature called a kappa—who is actually the reincarnation of a long-dead boyfriend.

    Star-Crossed Sushi Steve Dollar 2011

  • They made bed coverings called kappa moe by sewing together several layers of kapa with large running stitches and decorating the top with traditional patterns made from natural dyes.

    The Aloha Quilt Jennifer Chiaverini 2010

  • They made bed coverings called kappa moe by sewing together several layers of kapa with large running stitches and decorating the top with traditional patterns made from natural dyes.

    The Aloha Quilt Jennifer Chiaverini 2010

  • They made bed coverings called kappa moe by sewing together several layers of kapa with large running stitches and decorating the top with traditional patterns made from natural dyes.

    The Aloha Quilt Jennifer Chiaverini 2010

  • The genders differ when it comes to treatment, too, at least in the case of a class of painkillers called kappa opioids, which appear to be more effective in women than in men.

    Taking A New Look At Pain 2007

  • In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, the lads get referred to as kappa when they travel back in time to feudal Japan.

    Posthuman Blues Mac 2007

  • Salvia belongs to a class of drugs that activate something called the kappa opioid receptor.

    NPR Topics: News 2011

  • Salvia belongs to a class of drugs that activate something called the kappa opioid receptor.

    NPR Topics: News 2011

  • Salvinorin A activates something called the kappa opioid receptors, which can modulate mania.

    NPR Topics: News 2011

  • Salvinorin A activates something called the kappa opioid receptors, which can modulate mania.

    NPR Topics: News 2010

Comments

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  • A cucumber-obsessed Japanese spirit.

    February 27, 2007

  • Picture of a Kappa.

    July 31, 2008

  • Speechless, whichbe?

    July 31, 2008

  • Pensioner mutant ninja turtle.

    August 1, 2008

  • I saw this word used in online conversations with video gamers. Fascinating article about how the word is used as a sort of emoticon indicating sarcasm or mild provocation:
    http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-a-former-twitch-employee-has-one-of-the-most-reproduced-faces-ever/

    The most interesting part of is how this usage derives, tortuously, from the Japanese folkloric kappa.


    (This also explains how the word showed up on the Twitter loves/Twitter hates robo-lists.)

    November 22, 2016