short for kilocycle per second: a former unit of frequency equal to 1 kilohertz
kilocycle in American English
(ˈkɪloʊˌsaɪkəl; ˈkɪləˌsaɪkəl)
noun
Obsolete
kilohertz
kilocycle in American English
(ˈkɪləˌsaikəl)
noun
a unit equal to 1000 cycles: used esp. in radio as 1000 cycles per second for expressing the frequency of electromagnetic waves; kilohertz. The term kilohertz is now preferred in technical use
Abbreviation: kc
Word origin
[1920–25; kilo- + cycle]This word is first recorded in the period 1920–25. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: fundamentalism, self-service, ski jump, superpower, tie-inkilo- is a Greek combining form meaning “thousand,” introduced from French in the nomenclatureof the metric system (kiloliter). On this model, kilo- is used in the formation of compound words in other systems of measurement (kilowatt). Other words that use the affix kilo- include: kilobar, kilocalorie, kilogauss, kilohertz, kiloton