to keen (verb) = (of mourners) to wail from the Irish, caoinim: I wail
e.g. JFK was perturbed by his phone call with Marilyn Monroe, for her voice had a keening quality to it
kinetic (adj.) = (of an artwork) involving motion for its effect from the Greek, kinetikos, from kinein: to move
e.g. A child’s mobile – placed over a cot – is an example of kinetic art: for the mobile’s ability to enthrall depends on its moving with the slightest air current
kouros (noun) = a Greek statue of a naked youth (pronounced ‘koor-os’) from the Greek, koros: boy
e.g. On the lawns of some English country houses, a delapidated kouros stands alone
to kowtow to (someone) (verb) = to act submissively towards (someone) (pronounced ‘cow-tauw’) from the Chinese, ketou, from ke: knock + tou: head; ‘to kowtow’ literally means ‘to kneel and touch the ground with the forehead in submission, as per an ancient Chinese custom’
e.g. The good thing about being self-employed is you don’t have to kowtow to a boss
to kvetch about (something) (verb) = to complain about (something) (pronounced ‘kvech’) from the Yiddish, kvetshn: to complain, ultimately from the Middle High German, quetschen: to complain
e.g. Older people often kvetch about the behaviour of today’s youth