kind

English Online Dictionary. What means kind‎? What does kind mean?

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: kīnd, IPA^(key): /kaɪnd/
• Rhymes: -aɪnd

Etymology 1

From Middle English kynde, kunde, cunde, icunde, from Old English cynd, ġecynd (“inherent nature, disposition, kind, gender, generation, race”), from Proto-West Germanic *kundi, from Proto-Germanic *kinþiz, related to Proto-Germanic *kunją (“race, kin”) and Old English cennan (“to bear, give birth”). Cognate with Old High German gikunt (“nature, kind”), Icelandic kind (“race, species, kind”). Doublet of gens, genesis, and jati. See also kin.

Alternative forms

• kinde, kynd, kynde (obsolete)

Noun

kind (plural kinds)

1. A type, race or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together.
2. A makeshift or otherwise atypical specimen.
3. (archaic) One's inherent nature; character, natural disposition.
4. (archaic) Family, lineage.
   • "She Moved through the Fair" (traditional Irish folk song)

     My young love said to me, My mother won’t mind
     And my father won’t slight you for your lack of kind.

5. (archaic) Manner.
7. Goods or services used as payment, as e.g. in barter.
8. Equivalent means used as response to an action.

9. (Christianity) Each of the two elements of the communion service, bread and wine.
10. (type theory) The type of a type constructor or a higher-order type operator.

Usage notes

• In the sense of “goods or services” or “equivalent means”, used almost exclusively with “in”, i.e., the expression in kind.

Synonyms

• genre
• sort
• type
• derivative

(1) and/or (2)

• generation
• offspring
• child
• See also Thesaurus:class

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English kinde, kunde, kende, from Old English cynde, ġecynde (“innate, natural, native”), from Old English cynd, ġecynd (“nature, kind”).

Alternative forms

• kinde (obsolete)

Adjective

kind (comparative kinder, superlative kindest)

1. Having a benevolent, courteous, friendly, generous, gentle, liberal, sympathetic, or warm-hearted nature or disposition, marked by consideration for – and service to – others.
2. Affectionate.
3. Favorable.
4. Mild, gentle, forgiving

5. Gentle; tractable; easily governed.

6. (obsolete) Characteristic of the species; belonging to one's nature; natural; native.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:affectionate

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• Kind in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• DINK, dink

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch kind, from Middle Dutch kint, from Old Dutch kint, from Proto-Germanic *kindą (“offspring”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁tóm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kənt/

Noun

kind (plural kinders)

1. child

Anagrams

• dink

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse kinn, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénu- (“cheek”). Compare Swedish kind, Norwegian and Icelandic kinn, Low German and German Kinn, Dutch kin, English chin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ken/, [kʰenˀ]

Noun

kind c (singular definite kinden, plural indefinite kinder)

1. cheek

Inflection

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch kint, from Old Dutch kint, from Proto-West Germanic *kind (“offspring”), from Proto-Germanic *kindą (“offspring”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁tóm (“that which is produced, that which is given birth to”), related to *ǵn̥h₁tós (“produced, given birth”), from *ǵenh₁- (“to produce, to give birth”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɪnt/
• Hyphenation: kind
• Rhymes: -ɪnt

Noun

kind n (plural kinderen or kinders, diminutive kindje n or kindertje n or kindeken n or kindelijn n)

1. child, kid, non-adult human

2. first-degree descendant, still a minor or irrespective of age

   In sommige patriarchale tradities blijven kinderen levenslang onvoorwaardelijk onderworpen aan het vaderlijk gezag, zoals aanvankelijk in het Oude Rome, in andere houdt een zoon op kind te zijn door zijn eigen gezin te stichten

   In certain patriarchal traditions, children remain subject to unconditional paternal authority for life, as originally in Ancient Rome, in other ones a son ceases to be a child by founding his own family

   Synonyms: afstammeling, nakomeling, telg

3. (figuratively) product of influence, breeding etc.

Usage notes

• The normal plural is kinderen (a double plural combining the endings -er (archaic) and -en, also found in a few other neuter nouns). The form kinders is heard colloquially, often also humorously.
• In compounds, the word can take the form kinder- or kind- as a tail. The former is used more often, however.
• The dimunitive kindelijn is now archaic, but can still be found in some fossilized songs and religious texts.

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: kind
• Jersey Dutch: känt
• Negerhollands: kind, kint, kin, ken
• Skepi Creole Dutch: kente, kinte

See also

• dochter
• zoon
• blaag

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse kind, from Proto-Germanic *kinþiz, cognate with Latin gēns (“clan, tribe”). The sense of “sheep” is derived from the compound sauðkind, literally “sheep-kind”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /cʰɪnt/
• Rhymes: -ɪnt

Noun

kind f (genitive singular kindar, nominative plural kindur or (in the meaning "race, kind, kin") kindir)

1. (obsolete) race, kind, kin
2. a sheep (especially a ewe)

   Synonyms: rolla, sauðkind

3. (dated) used as a term of disparagement for a girl (or woman)

Declension

Derived terms

• kindarlegur
• mannkind
• sauðkind

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse kind f, from Proto-Germanic *kinþiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénh₁tis. Akin to English kind.

Noun

kind m (definite singular kinden, indefinite plural kindar, definite plural kindane)
kind n (definite singular kindet, indefinite plural kind, definite plural kinda)

1. a child in a cradle

References

• “kind” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *kinþiz. Compare Latin gēns (“clan, tribe”).

Noun

kind f (genitive kindar, plural kindir or kindr)

1. race, kind, kin
2. creature, being

Declension

Derived terms

• mannkind
• sauðkind

Descendants

• Icelandic: kind f (“sheep”)
• Faroese: kind

Further reading

• Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “kind”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *kind (“child”), from Proto-Germanic *kindą, *kinþą, from Pre-Germanic *ǵénh₁tom, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to bear, give birth”).

Noun

kind n

1. child

Declension

Descendants

• Middle Low German: kint
  • Low German: Kind
    • Dutch Low Saxon: kind, kiend, keend
    • German Low German: Kind
  • → Old Frisian: kind
    • West Frisian: kyn

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse kinn, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénu- (“cheek”). Compare Danish kind, Norwegian and Icelandic kinn, German Kinn, Dutch kin, English chin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɕɪnd/

Noun

kind c

1. (anatomy) cheek; a part of the face.

Usage notes

False friend with chin, see haka.

Declension

Derived terms

• vända andra kinden till (“turn the other cheek”)

References

• kind in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• kind in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• kind in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• Svensk MeSH

Zealandic

Etymology

From Middle Dutch kint.

Noun

kind n (plural kinders)

1. child