n. & v.
n. 1 (as a title usu. King) a male sovereign, esp. the hereditary ruler of an independent State. 2 a person or thing pre-eminent in a specified field or class (railway king). 3 a large (or the largest) kind of plant, animal, etc. (king penguin). 4 Chess the piece on each side which the opposing side has to checkmate to win. 5 a piece in draughts with extra capacity of moving, made by crowning an ordinary piece that has reached the opponent's baseline. 6 a court-card bearing a representation of a king and usu. ranking next below an ace. 7 (the King) (in the UK) the national anthem when there is a male sovereign. 8 (Kings or Books of Kings) two Old Testament books dealing with history, esp. of the kingdom of Judah.
v.tr. make (a person) king. King Charles spaniel a spaniel of a small black and tan breed. king cobra a large and venomous hooded Indian snake, Ophiophagus hannah. king-crab 1 = horseshoe crab. 2 US any of various large edible spider crabs. king-fish any of various large fish, esp. the opah or mulloway. king it 1 play or act the king. 2 (usu. foll. by over) govern, control. King James Bible (or Version) = Authorized Version (see AUTHORIZE). King of Arms Heraldry (in the UK) a chief herald (at the College of Arms: Garter, Clarenceux, and Norroy and Ulster; in Scotland: Lyon). king of beasts the lion. king of birds the eagle. King of the Castle a children's game consisting of trying to displace a rival from a mound. King of Kings 1 God. 2 the title assumed by many eastern kings. king-post an upright post from the tie-beam of a roof to the apex of a truss. King's Bench see BENCH. king's bishop, knight , etc. Chess (of pieces which exist in pairs) the piece starting on the king's side of the board. King's bounty see BOUNTY. King's colour see COLOUR. King's Counsel see COUNSEL. King's English see ENGLISH. King's evidence see EVIDENCE. king's evil hist. scrofula, formerly held to be curable by the royal touch. King's Guide see GUIDE. King's highway see HIGHWAY. king-size (or -sized) larger than normal; very large. King's Messenger see MESSENGER. king's pawn Chess the pawn in front of the king at the beginning of a game. King's Proctor see PROCTOR. king's ransom a fortune. King's Scout see SCOUT(1). King's speech see SPEECH. kinghood n. kingless adj. kinglike adj. kingly adj. kingliness n. kingship n.
[ OE cyning, cyng f. Gmc ]