I. ˈkīt, usu -īd.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English cȳta; akin to Middle High German kūze owl, Old Norse kȳta to quarrel, Greek goan to lament, Lithuanian gausti to sound drone — more at comely
1. : any of various usually rather small hawks of the family Accipitridae that have long narrow wings, a deeply forked tail, a weak bill, and feet adapted for taking such prey as insects and small reptiles, that feed also on offal, and that are noted for graceful sustained flight ; specifically : a common comparatively large European scavenger ( Milvus milvus ) with chiefly reddish brown plumage — compare black kite , black-shouldered kite , swallow-tailed kite , white-tailed kite
2. : a person that preys on others
3. : a contrivance consisting of a surface of a light material stretched over a light often diamond-shaped framework, often provided with a balancing tail, and intended to be flown in the air at the end of a long string — see box kite
4.
a. : accommodation bill
b. : a check drawn against uncollected funds in a bank account
c. : a check that has been fraudulently raised before cashing
5. kites plural : the lightest and usually the loftiest sails (as skysails, spinnakers) ordinarily carried only in a light breeze — called also flying kites
6. : something suggested or tried in order to see how people react : a tentative proposal or venture : trial balloon , feeler
published what has all the appearance of being a kite for his whole project — Peter Ure
7.
a. : a drag to be towed under water at any depth up to about 40 fathoms that on striking bottom is upset and rises to the surface — called also sentry
b. : a device (as a heavy wooden platform) attached to a submerged line towed by a mine sweeper or between two vessels to make the line tow at a predetermined depth for clearing mined areas
8.
a. : a heavier-than-air aircraft which is without propelling means other than the towline pull and whose support is derived from the force of the wind moving past its surfaces
b. slang Britain : airplane
9. : a step cut for a gem having a diamond shape and eight quadrilateral facets
10. : a letter smuggled past prison censorship
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1. : to get money or credit by a kite ; specifically : to create a false bank balance by manipulating deposit accounts
2. : to go in a rapid, carefree, or flighty manner:
a. : to run or move very fast
that dog went kiting down the street traveling all of 20 knots — Kenneth Roberts
b. : gallivant
would kite off to the movies just about dishwashing time
used to kite around with the other kids in the evening
c. : to rise rapidly : soar
tin prices kited in world markets … to another record high — Wall Street Journal
d. : to leave suddenly : decamp
walked out on me … took the boys and kited — Vance Bourjaily
3. : to fly a hawk-shaped paper kite over the haunts of game birds (as grouse) to frighten them into lying close
transitive verb
1. : to cause to soar ; specifically : to inflate (as a price) in amount
war-risk insurance has kited shipping costs skyward — Time
2. : to use (a kite) to get money or credit
had kited the worthless draft on innocent victims — M.M.Hunt
specifically : to raise the amount of (a check) by fraud before cashing it
a $27.50 check could be kited to $327.50 — Newsweek