King of Terrors

Death

Reign of Terror or the Terror

The period (April 1793 to July 1794) of repression and persecution in the French Revolution when thousands went to the guillotine

king /king/

noun

1. A male hereditary chief ruler or titular head of a nation
2. A male monarch
3. A queen bee (obsolete)
4. A playing card having the picture of a king
5. In chess, either of two pieces, the most important pieces on each side, usu with a top in the shape of a crown, that can move one square at a time in any direction
6. In draughts, a piece that has been crowned
7. A man or other male animal who is pre-eminent among his fellows. Cf queen

transitive verb

1. To make king
2. To provide with a king (obsolete)

combining form

Denoting most important

kingˈdom noun

1. The state or attributes of a king
2. A monarchical state
3. A region that was once a monarchical state
4. The spiritual sovereignty of God
5. One of the three major divisions of natural history (animal, vegetable, mineral)
6. Any of the higher taxonomic ranks, each composed of a number of plant divisions, or animal phyla
7. An area in which a specified quality or attribute is paramount

kingˈdomed adjective (Shakespeare)

Provided with or constituted like a kingdom

kingˈdomless adjective

kingˈhood noun

1. Kingship
2. Kingliness

kingˈless adjective

kingˈlet noun

Either of two species of N American bird of the genus Regulus, allied to the goldcrest and firecrest

kingˈlihood noun

kingˈlike adjective

kingˈliness noun

kingˈling noun

A petty king

kingˈly adjective

1. Belonging or suitable to a king
2. Royal
3. Kinglike

adverb

In the manner of a king

Kings noun

The title of two historical books of the Old Testament

kingˈship noun

The state, office or dignity of a king

kingˈ-apple noun

A large red variety of apple

kingˈ-archon noun

The second of the nine archons in Athens, successor to the abolished kings in religious functions

kingˈbird noun

An American flycatcher

kingˈbolt or kingˈ-rod noun

1. A metal rod in a roof connecting the tie-beam and the ridge
2. A kingpin in a mechanical structure

King Charles's head noun

A matter that persists in obtruding itself as did King Charles's head in the thoughts of Mr Dick in Dickens's David Copperfield

King Charles spaniel see under spaniel

king cobra noun

A large Asiatic species of cobra

king crab noun

1. Any of several large decapods valued as a food (also stone crab)
2. Same as horseshoe crab (see under horse)

kingˈcraft noun (obsolete)

The art of governing

kingˈ-crow noun

A kind of drongo

kingˈcup noun

1. The buttercup
2. The marsh-marigold

kingdom come noun (informal)

1. The state after death
2. Some inconceivably far-off time

King Edward noun

A popular English variety of potato

kingˈfish noun

1. The opah
2. Any of various fish notable for their size or value (N American and Aust)

kingˈfisher noun

1. A European fish-eating bird with very brilliant blue-green and chestnut plumage, formerly known as the halcyon
2. Any bird of the same family, most species of which are not fish-eating
3. A brilliant blue colour (also adjective)

kingˈ-hit noun (Aust sl)

A knockout blow (also transitive verb)

King James Bible or King James Version noun

The Authorized Version

kingˈklip noun (S Afr)

Any of several marine food-fishes

King Log noun

A do-nothing king, as opposed to King Stork, one who devours his frog-subjects (from Aesop's fable)

kingˈmaker noun

A person who has the power to create kings or other high officials

king mob noun

The vulgar multitude

king-of-armsˈ (sometimes king-at-armsˈ) noun

A principal herald (those of England having the designations Garter, Clarencieux, and Norroy and Ulster (includes N Ireland), of Scotland, Lyon)

king of beasts noun

The lion

king of birds noun

The eagle

king of kings noun

1. A powerful monarch with other monarchs subject to him
2. (with caps) God, Christ

king of metals noun

Gold

king of terrors noun

Death

king of the castle noun

(orig from a children's game) the most important, powerful person in a group

king of the forest noun

The oak

king of the herrings noun

1. The shad
2. The oarfish
3. Applied also to various other fishes, such as the opah, the rabbitfish or chimera

king pair noun (cricket)

An instance of getting out to one's first ball in both innings of a match

king penguin noun

A large penguin, smaller than the emperor

kingˈpin noun

1. A tall pin, or one prominently placed
2. A pin on which an axle swivels, like that on a motor vehicle's front wheel
3. The most important person of a group engaged in an undertaking
4. The key issue

kingˈpost noun

A perpendicular beam in the frame of a roof rising from the tie-beam to the ridge

king prawn noun

A large prawn, esp of the genus Penaeus, found around Australia

king salmon noun

The largest Pacific salmon, the quinnat

King's Bench see Queen's Bench under queen

king's bounty see under bounty

king'sˈ-chair or king's-cushˈion noun

A seat formed by two people clasping wrists

King's Counsel see Queen's Counsel under queen

king's English or queen's English noun

Correct standard speech

king's evil noun

A scrofulous disease formerly supposed to be healed by the touch of the monarch

King's Guide see Queen's Guide under queen

king's highway noun

The public thoroughfare

king'sˈ-hood noun

The second stomach of a ruminant, sometimes humorously for the human stomach

king'side noun

In chess, the side of the board where the king stands at the beginning of play

kingˈ-size or kingˈ-sized adjective

Of large or larger-than-standard size

king'sˈ-man noun

1. A royalist
2. A custom-house officer

king snake noun

Any non-venomous N American snake of the genus Lampropeltis, which feeds on small animals and other snakes

king's peace (or queen's peace) noun

1. Orig the peace secured by the sovereign for certain people (eg those employed on the king's or queen's business)
2. The peace of the kingdom generally

King's Proctor (or Queen's Proctor) noun

A legal officer chiefly concerned with establishing collusion in divorce cases

King's Regulations see Queen's Regulations under queen

King's Scout see Queen's Scout under queen

king'sˈ-spear noun

An asphodel

King's Speech see Queen's Speech under queen

King Stork see King Log above.

king's-yellˈow noun

Orpiment as a pigment

king-vulˈture noun

A large brilliantly-coloured tropical American vulture

kingˈwood noun

1. A beautiful Brazilian wood also called violet-wood
2. The papilionaceous tree yielding it, a species of Dalbergia

king it

To play king, act as superior to, or in authority over, others

take the king's shilling see under shilling

three kings of Cologne

The three Wise Men of the East, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar

turn King's evidence see under evident