kiss

Etymology 1

From Middle English kissen, kussen, from Old English cyssan (“to kiss”), from Proto-West Germanic *kussijan, from Proto-Germanic *kussijaną (“to kiss”). Cognates include Saterland Frisian küsje, Dutch kussen, German Low German küssen, German küssen, Danish kysse, Swedish kyssa, Norwegian kysse, Icelandic kyssa. Compare Proto-Indo-European *ku-, *kus- (probably imitative), with byspels including Ancient Greek κύσσω (kússō), poetic form of κύσω (kúsō, “to kiss”), and Hittite [script needed] (kuwassanzi, “they kiss”).

verb

1. (transitive) To touch with the lips or press the lips against, usually to show love or affection or passion, or as part of a greeting.
   I kissed a girl and I liked it / The taste of her cherry chapstick / I kissed a girl just to try it / I hope my boyfriend don't mind it 28 April 2008, Katy Perry, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Cathy Dennis, “I Kissed a Girl”, in One of the Boys, performed by Katy Perry
2. (transitive, intransitive) To (cause to) touch lightly or slightly; to come into contact.
   The nearside of the car just kissed a parked truck as he took the corner at high speed.
   His ball kissed the black into the corner pocket.
3. (intransitive) Of two or more people, to touch each other's lips together, usually to express love or affection or passion.
4. (transitive, archaic) To treat with fondness.

Etymology 2

From Middle English kis, kys, kus, forms of cos influenced by kissen, from Old English coss, from Proto-West Germanic *koss, from Proto-Germanic *kussaz.

noun

1. A touch with the lips, usually to express love or affection, or as a greeting.
2. An 'X' mark placed at the end of a letter or other type of message, signifying the bestowal of a kiss from the sender to the receiver.
   With some satisfaction, Gergory read this through twice, signed it and added kisses[.] 1966, Brian W. Aldiss, The Saliva Tree, published 1968, page 67
3. A type of filled chocolate candy, shaped as if someone had kissed the top. See Hershey's Kisses.
4. (astronomy) The alignment of two bodies in the solar system such that they have the same longitude when seen from Earth, conjunction.
5. (aviation) A low-speed mid-air collision between the envelopes of two hot air balloons, generally causing no damage or injury.