kind

A1 Topic:Describing People

US /kaɪnd/ UK /kaɪnd/ See IPA manual

Freq #203

Meanings

1

noun
A group of people or things that share the same qualities; a type or category.

What kind of person are you?
2

adj
Caring and gentle toward others; ready to help and forgive.

Our neighbor was very kind about the window our son broke.
3

adj
Gentle and not harmful; good for someone or something.

A dry climate is kind to people with asthma.

Word forms

The same word in different grammatical forms.

Noun

Singular: kind
What kind of fruit is this?
Plural: kinds
We grow three kinds of fruit.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · caring and gentle toward... tolerant

3 adj · gentle and not harmful;... genial

More child derivative generation genre offspring sort type

Word family

Derived forms breadkindfirst-of-its-kindfive-of-a-kindfour-of-a-kindgrant-in-kindin-kindkindakindfulkindheartedkindishkindlesskindly

Related forms kinkindhoodkindred kinship

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

kind word
a gentle or encouraging remark

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (3)

See all

Simplified etymology

Kind originally meant “nature,” “the natural order,” or “innate character” in Old English, from which the noun sense “class or type” developed. It is related to kin and, through that word, to king. The adjective meant “well born” in medieval English; the association of good breeding with good manners then produced the modern sense “considerate and generous.”

Etymology

From Middle English kynde, kinde, 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.

*ǵenh₁- Proto-Indo-European kynde Middle English cynd Old English *kundi Proto-West Germanic *kinþiz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing People

External links

# kind

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /kaɪnd/
**IPA (UK):** /kaɪnd/
**Frequency rank:** 203

## Meanings
1. A group of people or things that share the same qualities; a type or category.
2. Caring and gentle toward others; ready to help and forgive.
3. Gentle and not harmful; good for someone or something.

## Examples
- What kind of person are you?
- Our neighbor was very kind about the window our son broke.
- A dry climate is kind to people with asthma.

## Synonyms
- child
- derivative
- generation
- genre
- offspring
- sort
- type

## Derived Forms
- breadkind
- first-of-its-kind
- five-of-a-kind
- four-of-a-kind
- grant-in-kind
- in-kind
- kinda
- kindful
- kindhearted
- kindish
- kindless
- kindly

## Related Forms
- kin
- kindhood
- kindred
- kinship

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ǵenh₁-
- Root: kynde
- Root: cynd
- Root: *kundi
- Root: *kinþiz

## Etymology
From Middle English kynde, kinde, 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.

## AI Etymology
Kind comes from Middle English kynde, kinde, 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. The historical line also includes *ǵenh₁-.

## Topics
- Describing People

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