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kit 1 (kĭt)
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n.
1.
a. A set of articles or implements used for a specific purpose: a survival kit; a shaving kit.
b. A container for such a set.
2. A set of parts or materials to be assembled: a model airplane kit.
3. A packaged set of related materials: a sales kit.
4. Chiefly British
a. A collection of clothing and other personal effects used for travel or by a soldier.
b. A container, such as a bag or knapsack, for storing or holding such a collection.
Phrasal Verb:
kit out Chiefly British
To provide with clothing or equipment.
Idiom:
the (whole) kit and caboodle Informal
The entire collection or lot.

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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
kit 2 (kĭt)
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n.
1. A kitten.
2. One of the young of certain other fur-bearing mammals, especially a fox or rabbit.

[Short for KITTEN.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
kit 3 (kĭt)
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n.
A tiny, narrow violin used by dancing masters in the 1600s and 1700s.

[Origin unknown.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.