king

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A man who rules a country, usually because of his royal family; a male monarch.

   Henry VIII was the king of England from 1509 to 1547.

2. 2
   noun

   A very powerful or important person who leads in some area.

   Howard Stern styled himself as the "king of all media."

3. 3
   noun

   Something that is the most important or dominant of its kind.

   In times of financial panic, cash is king.

4. 4
   noun

   The most important piece in chess, which each player tries to trap.

   The aim of the game is to put your opponent's king under attack so that it cannot escape.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

King is an Old English word related to kin. The first kings in England were chiefs of the tribes or “kins” of Angles and Saxons who invaded the country and established small states.

From Middle English king, kyng, from Old English cyng, cyning (“king”), from Proto-West Germanic *kuning, from Proto-Germanic *kuningaz, *kunungaz (“king”), equivalent to kin + -ing. Doublet of cyning and knez. Cognate with Scots king, keeng (“king”), North Frisian kining, köning (“king”), Saterland Frisian Kening (“king”), West Frisian kening (“king”), Dutch koning (“king”), Low German Koning, Köning (“king”), German König (“king”), Danish konge (“king”), Swedish konung, kung (“king”), Norwegian konge (“king”), Icelandic konungur, kóngur (“king”), Polish ksiądz (“priest”), Russian князь (knja…

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