Kay
/keɪ/noun
The name of the letter K.
Did you know?K ultimately descends from the Semitic letter kaph, whose name meant “palm of the hand,” likely referring to the shape of the original symbol.
Etymological Timeline
c. 1800 BCE
Proto-Sinaitic
𐤊
“A pictographic sign associated with a hand or palm”
c. 1000 BCE
Phoenician
𐤊 kaph
“The consonant /k/, named for the palm of the hand”
Ancient Greek
Greek
κάππα (kappa)
“The letter representing /k/”
7th Century BCE
Etruscan
𐌊
“A letter for the /k/ sound, adopted from Greek”
1st Century BCE
Latin
K
“The letter K, used alongside C for the /k/ sound”
Middle English
English
kay
“The spoken name of the letter K”
Modern English
English
kay
“The name of the letter K”