Emily Dickinson Lexicon

Katie, proper n. [dim. of Katherine < Gk. 'pure' or 'dear']

Catherine Mary Scott (1831-1917); daughter of Henry Strong and Catherine Strong in New York; widow of Mr. Turner; wife of John Anthon; ED's childhood friend; woman who remarried after the death of her first husband; friend to whom Dickinson sent a pair of knitted garters in a letter (see ED's letters).

keel, n. [ON kjol-r]

Main support; principal timber in a ship which supports the whole frame.

keen (-est), adj. [OE céne, bold, brave.] (webplay: Bitter, Cold, fine, Piercing, sharp, shooting).

1. Acute; intense; bitter; painful (as of thoughts and feelings).
2. Skillful; able.

keep, n. [see keep, v.]

Shelter; haven; sanctuary; ward; place of security; safe place; guardianship; [fig.] bird's nest in a tree.

keep (-ing, -s, kept), v. [OE cépan.] (webplay: approach, accompany, behind, betray, bosom, care, ceasing, company, conquered, continue, country, crown, danger, depart, desire, different, dungeon, eyes, face, fall, field, garden, God, goods, guard, have, heart, heaven, hinder, hold(s). , hours, house, income, joy, keep house, king, know, lose, last, measures, memory, mind, moved, near, nothing, order, pace, perish, practice, presumptuous, school, security, servant's, silence, sins, solemnize, state, step, strictly, supply, talking, tell, term, time, town, turned, viewed, While the stars and course of heaven keep, winter's, wise).

1. Not reveal; not disclose; not betray; maintain in confidence; confine to one's knowledge.
2. Possess; retain in one's power.
3. Maintain; preserve; retain; continue with.
4. Celebrate; solemnize; observe; set apart time for.
5. Fulfill; perform; satisfy; accomplish.
6. Endure; remain in; stay in; be confined to.
7. Attend; fulfill a commitment for.
8. Guard; watch over; take care of; have charge over.
9. Incarcerate; hold captive.
10. Hold; contain; set in place.
11. Maintain; clean; put in proper order.
12. Phrase. “Keep away”: prevent; save from; protect from; guard against; [fig.] distract from being conscious of.
13. Phrase. “Keep house”: stay at home; maintain a family state.

keeper, n. [see keep, v.] (webplay: keeper of the great seal).

Caretaker; custodian; superintendent of any thing; in Great Britain, the keeper of the great seal is a lord who deals with all royal grants, commissions, and charters; [fig.] Lord; God or Christ.

keepsake (-s), n. [see keep, v.]

1. Personal possessions; treasured belongings; tokens of friendship and love.
2. Preservation; remembrance; souvenir.
3. [Fig.] mortal body.
4. [Fig.] expression of fondness; farewell.

kennel, n. [OFr kenil < L. canis, dog.] (webplay: house, street).

Doghouse; cot for a dog or pack of hounds.

kernel, n. [OE cyrnel, dim. of corn, n.] (webplay: a little corn, grain, nut; contained in the shell of a nut; husk; thing).

1. Seed; granule; grain; nut within a husk.
2. Central part; nucleus.
3. [Fig.] inner being; soul; spirit; unique essence.

key (-s), n¹. [OE cæg.] (webplay: finger's, frame, lock, played, shutting).

1. Connection; emblem; symbol; sign; signal; thing that opens or closes the way to something.
2. [Fig.] power of custody; assess; control; admission by possession of the keys of any place; [lit.] mechanism or process for sealing a grave or casket.
3. [Fig.] fundamental note; basic tone to which a piece of music is accommodated.
4. [Fig.] levers in an organ, pianoforte, etc.; segments of an instrument which the fingers press down to produce musical notes.