Kit

How to spell kit

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce kit

What does kit mean?

1. nounA set of tools, parts, or articles gathered together for a particular purpose.
2. nounThe clothing and gear worn for a sport or activity, especially a team uniform.

Kit in a sentence

• The plumber keeps a repair kit in the back of the van.

• The players changed into their new home kit before the match.

• Every office should store a first aid kit within easy reach.

• He forgot his training kit and had to borrow boots from a teammate.

Where does kit come from?

Language of origin: Dutch

Kit entered English in the 1300s from Middle Dutch kitte, which named a wooden vessel or tankard, the kind of staved tub used to carry liquids or store goods. Because such a vessel was used to hold a worker's or soldier's collected belongings, the word's sense gradually shifted from the container itself to the set of articles kept inside it. By the 1700s a soldier's kit meant the bundle of equipment and clothing he was issued, and from there the word spread to any organised set of tools or parts gathered for a task. The flat-pack idea of a model or appliance supplied as a 'kit' of pieces to assemble is a modern extension of that same notion. The spelling has stayed admirably short and stable, with no silent letters, which is why it almost never trips writers up.

How the word is built

• kit (a single root noun, originally a container, later the contents gathered together)