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.

  • 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 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 family; a brood.
  • noun An English fanciers' term for a small flock of pigeons, particularly tumblers.
  • noun A dialectal and Middle English variant, of cut.
  • noun A bag or basket woven of native flax, used by the Maoris.
  • noun A kitten.
  • noun A light woman.
  • noun A fish, the smear-dab.

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

  • 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.
  • noun A small violin.
  • 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.

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

  • noun a school of pigeons, especially domesticated, trained pigeons
  • noun a kit violin
  • noun kitten
  • noun kit fox
  • 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