kiss
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English kissen, kussen, from Old English cyssan (“to kiss”), from Proto-West Germanic *kussijan, from Proto-Germanic *kussijaną (“to kiss”).
Cognates include Saterland Frisian küsje, Dutch kussen, German Low German küssen, German küssen, Danish kysse, Swedish kyssa, Norwegian kysse, Icelandic kyssa. Compare Proto-Indo-European *ku-, *kus- (probably imitative), with byspels including Ancient Greek κύσσω (kússō), poetic form of κύσω (kúsō, “to kiss”), and Hittite [script needed] (kuwassanzi, “they kiss”).
VerbEdit
kiss (third-person singular simple present kisses, present participle kissing, simple past and past participle kissed)
- (transitive) To touch with the lips or press the lips against, usually to show love or affection or passion, or as part of a greeting.
- c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene ii]:
- He […] kissed her lips with such a clamorous smack, / That at the parting all the church echoed.
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene ii]:
- I'll kiss thy foot. I'll swear myself thy subject.
- 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175:
- But then I had the [massive] flintlock by me for protection. […] The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window […], and a 'bead' could be drawn upon Molly, the dairymaid, kissing the fogger behind the hedge, little dreaming that the deadly tube was levelled at them.
- 2008 April 28, Katy Perry, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Cathy Dennis, “I Kissed a Girl”, in One of the Boys[1], performed by Katy Perry:
- I kissed a girl and I liked it / The taste of her cherry chapstick / I kissed a girl just to try it / I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
- (transitive, intransitive) To (cause to) touch lightly or slightly; to come into contact.
- The nearside of the car just kissed a parked truck as he took the corner at high speed.
- His ball kissed the black into the corner pocket.
- c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene vi]:
- Like fire and powder, / Which as they kiss consume.
- 1867–1870 (date written), Alfred Tennyson; Arthur Sullivan, composer, “No. II. At the Window.”, in The Window: Or, The Songs of the Wrens […], London: Strahan & Co., […], published 1871, OCLC 228705983:
- Rose, rose and clematis, / Trail and twine and clasp and kiss, / Kiss, kiss; and make her a bower / All of flowers, and drop me a flower, / Drop me a flower.
- 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, OCLC 1167497017:
- Night hath fled away into the valleys. The dawn kisseth the mountain tops.
- (intransitive) Of two or more people, to touch each other's lips together, usually to express love or affection or passion.
- (transitive, archaic) To treat with fondness.
SynonymsEdit
- See also Thesaurus:kiss
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
to touch with the lips
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to touch lightly
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to touch each other’s lips
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Etymology 2Edit
From Middle English kis, kys, kus, forms of cos influenced by kissen, from Old English coss, from Proto-West Germanic *koss, from Proto-Germanic *kussaz.
NounEdit
kiss (plural kisses)
- A touch with the lips, usually to express love or affection, or as a greeting.
- An 'X' mark placed at the end of a letter or other type of message, signifying the bestowal of a kiss from the sender to the receiver.
- 1966, Brian W. Aldiss, The Saliva Tree, published 1968, page 67:
- With some satisfaction, Gergory read this through twice, signed it and added kisses[.]
- A type of filled chocolate candy, shaped as if someone had kissed the top. See Hershey's Kisses.
- (astronomy) The alignment of two bodies in the solar system such that they have the same longitude when seen from Earth, conjunction.
- (aviation) A low-speed mid-air collision between the envelopes of two hot air balloons, generally causing no damage or injury.
SynonymsEdit
- (touch with the lips): See Thesaurus:buss
Derived termsEdit
Terms derived from the noun or verb kiss
- ass kissing, ass-kissing
- blow a kiss
- French kiss
- good night kiss
- kiss and cry
- kiss and make up
- kiss ass, kiss-ass
- kiss chase
- kisser
- kiss goodbye
- kissle
- kiss my ass/kiss my arse
- kiss of death
- kiss off
- kiss of life
- kissogram
- kiss someone's ass
- kiss someone's ring
- kiss the gunner's daughter
- kiss the hem of someone's garment
- kiss up
- kiss-up
- soul kiss
- tongue kiss
TranslationsEdit
a touch with the lips
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See alsoEdit
AnagramsEdit
Middle EnglishEdit
VerbEdit
kiss
- Alternative form of kissen
SwedishEdit
EtymologyEdit
Partly imitative, partly a euphemism for piss (see pissa (“to pee”)).
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
kiss n (uncountable)
DeclensionEdit
| Declension of kiss | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncountable | ||||
| Indefinite | Definite | |||
| Nominative | kiss | kisset | — | — |
| Genitive | kiss | kissets | — | — |