kit

Etymology 1

From Middle English kyt, kytt, kytte, from Middle Dutch kitte (“a wooden vessel made of hooped staves”). Related to Dutch kit (“tankard”) (see below). The further etymology is unknown. Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *kitjō-, *kut-, which would be related to the root of Dutch kot (“ramshackle house”), itself of non-Indo-European origin. The transfer of meaning to the contents of a soldier's knapsack dates to the late 18th century, extended use of any collection of necessaries used for travelling dates to the first half of the 19th century. The further widening of the sense to a collection of parts sold for the buyer to assemble emerges in US English in the mid 20th century.

noun

1. A circular wooden vessel, made of hooped staves.
2. A kind of basket made especially from straw of rushes, especially for holding fish; by extension, the contents of such a basket or similar container, used as a measure of weight.
   He was pushing a barrow on the fish dock, wheeling aluminium kits which, when full, each contain 10 stone of fish. 1961 18 Jan, Guardian (cited after OED)
3. A collection of items forming the equipment of a soldier, carried in a knapsack.
   Dudes! You simply have too much stuff in your kit! But don't sweat it, I can buy some stuff you don't need. 1995, HAL Laboratory, EarthBound, Nintendo, Super Nintendo Entertainment System
4. Any collection of items needed for a specific purpose, especially for use by a workman, or personal effects packed for travelling.
   Always carry a good first-aid kit.
5. A collection of parts sold for the buyer to assemble.
   I built the entire car from a kit.
6. (UK, sports) The standard set of clothing, accessories and equipment worn by players.
   A sell-out crowd of 10,000 then observed perfectly a period of silence before the team revealed their black armbands, complete with stitched-in poppies, for the match. After Fifa’s about-turn, it must have been a frantic few days for the England kit manufacturer. The on-field challenge was altogether more straightforward. November 10, 2011, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph
7. (UK, informal) Clothing.
   Get your kit off and come to bed.
   The Argentina fan who risked jail by getting her kit off at the World Cup final has broken her silence by posting more topless videos. 2022-12-20, “Topless Argie fan breaks silence with more nude vids as she dodges Qatar's wrath”, in The US Sun
8. (computing, informal) A full software distribution, as opposed to a patch or upgrade.
9. (video games) The set of skills and abilities chosen for a playable character.
10. (music) A drum kit.
11. (dated) The whole set; kit and caboodle.
    Do you know the proportion between ten and twelve or thirteen? — No; I should suppose you may take the whole kit of them as thirty; and the rest are people at from twenty to forty years of age. 1818, Reports, volume 92, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Lords, page 82

verb

1. (transitive) To assemble or collect something into kits.
   We need to kit the parts for the assembly by Friday, so that manufacturing can build the tool.
2. (transitive) To equip (somebody) with something.

Etymology 2

A short form of kitten and/or kitling. From the 16th century (spelled kytte, kitt). From the 19th century also extended to other young animals (mink, fox, beaver, muskrat, etc.), and to a species of small fox ("kit-fox"). Later usage (for other animals) perhaps influenced by chit.

noun

1. A kitten (young cat).
2. A kit fox.
3. A young beaver.
4. A young skunk.
5. A young ferret.
6. A young rabbit.
7. A young weasel

Etymology 3

16th century, perhaps from cithara.

noun

1. Synonym of kit violin

Etymology 4

Borrowed from German kitte, Kütte (“flock of doves”) (circa 1880).

noun

1. A school of pigeons, especially domesticated, trained pigeons.