kite

Everyday

1. A kite is a light toy made of paper, plastic or cloth on a long string that flies in the wind. tree →
2. A kite is a four-sided shape with two pairs of equal sides next to each other, like a diamond that is longer at the bottom. tree →
3. A kite is a bird of prey, like a small hawk. tree →

In the lessons

In maths, things counted or bought; string length or height; a four-sided shape with one line of symmetry. In science, a kite shows how wind pushes and lifts. In everyday life and safety: fly kites in open fields, far from power lines. In stories, a kite is carried away by the wind. Phrases: «fly a kite», «kite string», «as high as a kite».

Examples

• Sam has 4 kites. tree →
• The kite string is 50 metres long. tree →
• A kite costs 7 dollars. tree →
• The kite flew 30 metres high. tree →
• We flew our kite on the beach. tree →
• Never fly a kite near power lines. tree →
• Draw a kite and mark its equal sides. tree →
• A red kite circled over the hill. tree →
• The wind lifted the kite high above the trees. tree →
• The Eagle accepted the Kite immediately. tree →

Note

Countable: a kite, kites. Do not confuse with kit (a set of things). Usually the thing counted or a length of string. Trap: as a shape, a kite has 4 sides, two pairs of equal ones next to each other (not opposite, as in a parallelogram).

In Jewish tradition

It appears in the list of unclean birds in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, which are the birds that hunt and eat other animals. Isaiah pictures kites gathering in the ruined land of Edom.

Interpretation. The rabbis said the birds on the forbidden list are mainly birds of prey, and that the exact kinds are hard to know today, so people eat only birds by a trusted tradition. Isaiah's picture is read as showing a land left empty and wild after God's judgment.

Examples

• and the kite, and the falcon after its kinds; (Torah LEV.11.14, JPS 1917) tree →
• and the glede, and the falcon, and the kite after its kinds; (Torah DEU.14.13, JPS 1917) tree →
• There shall the arrowsnake make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and brood under her shadow; yea, there shall the kites be gathered, every one with her mate. (Prophets ISA.34.15, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable: a kite, kites. Do not confuse with kit (a set of things). Usually the thing counted or a length of string. Trap: as a shape, a kite has 4 sides, two pairs of equal ones next to each other (not opposite, as in a parallelogram).