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ki·bosh

(kībŏsh′, kī-bŏsh)

n.
Informal

A check, end, or stop: The rain put the kibosh on our plans.

[Originally in early 19th century colloquial to put the kibosh upon, to castigate, overwhelm (a person or political party such as the British Whigs, who were criticized for failing to outlaw flogging in the military), perhaps originally meaning simply "to flog," and from alteration (perhaps in imitation of a cracking whip) of KURBASH.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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