*kha*

n. [ Back, adv. + hand. ] 1. A kind of handwriting in which the downward slope of the letters is from left to right. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Sports) The stroke of a ball with a racket or paddle, in which head of the racket starts from the side of the body opposite to that of the arm in which the racket is held, and proceeds forward to meet the ball. Contrasted with forehand. [ PJC ]

a. 1. Sloping from left to right; -- said of handwriting. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Backhanded; indirect; oblique. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. With the hand turned backward; as, a backhanded blow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Indirect; awkward; insincere; sarcastic; as, a backhanded compliment. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Turned back, or inclining to the left; as, backhanded letters. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & adv. (Sport) Stroked with a backhand{ 2 }; as, a backhanded drive. [ PJC ]

n. State of being backhanded; the using of backhanded or indirect methods. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A backhanded blow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a laborer who loads and unloads vessels in a port.
Syn. -- stevedore, loader, longshoreman, docker, dock worker, dock-walloper, lumper. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a hammer having a strong steel cutting blade, driven by compressed air in multiple rapid strokes, and used for cutting through pavement, concrete, or other hard substances.
Syn. -- air hammer, pneumatic hammer. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Hind. khākī, lit., dusty, dust-colored, fr. Per. khāk dust. ] Of a dull brownish yellow, or drab color; -- applied to cloth, originally to a stout brownish cotton cloth, used in making uniforms in the Anglo-Indian army. In the United States service the summer uniform of cotton is officially designated khaki; the winter uniform of wool, olive drab. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Any kind of khaki cloth; hence, a uniform of khaki or, rarely, a soldier clad in khaki. In the United States and British armies khaki or cloth of a very similar color is almost exclusively used for service in the field. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. See Caliph. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the dialect of Mongolian that is the official language of the Mongolian People's Republic. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

{ } n. [ Ar. khamsīn, fr. khamsūn, oblique case khamsīn, fifty; -- so called because it blows for about fifty days, from April till June. ] A hot southwesterly wind in Egypt, coming from the Sahara. [ Written also Khamseen. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Kamsin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pers. & Tart. khān. ] [ Also kan, kaun. ] A king; a prince; a chief; a governor; -- so called among the Tartars, Turks, and Persians, and in countries now or formerly governed by them. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Per. khān, khānah, house, tent, inn. ] An Eastern inn or caravansary. [ Written also kawn. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Dominion or jurisdiction of a khan. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. A city in Ukraine; -- its former capital. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Bot.) A lofty West African tree (Khaya Senegalensis), related to the mahogany, which it resembles in the quality of the wood. The bark is used as a febrifuge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prov. E. kink to gasp (cf. Chin cough) + haust a cough (akin to E. wheeze). ] Whooping cough. [ Obs.or Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. (Sumerian mythology) Same as Ninhursag. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. A Laplander's traveling sledge. See Sledge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From the American Indian name. ] (Zool.) The wolverine. [ 1913 Webster ]