kek

English

Etymology

ㅋㅋㅋ (keukeukeu) is the childish Korean equivalent of the English "haha". Since this is often used in StarCraft matches, Blizzard, StarCraft’s developers, decided to reference it in World of Warcraft: when a player of the Horde faction types "lol" using the /say messaging command, members of the opposing faction see it as "kek".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛk

Interjection

kek

1. (Internet slang, video games) Used to indicate laughter or humour.
   • 2007 October 13, The Cynic , “Re: Nobel Peace belong to me.”, in alt.politics.bush‎ (Usenet):

     Now Freakie boy, for a tasty doggie biscuit, can you try saying that again without any grammatical error?
     kek kek kek kek kek

   • 2013 December 11, Steve Nickolas, “Re: 1984 Apple IIe Owner's Manual”, in comp.sys.apple2‎ (Usenet):

     Top kek.
     
     I can't believe Apple would derp like THAT, at least the Apple of the mid-1980s.

   • 2014 February 19, Checkmate (quoting Friendly Neighborhood Vote> Wrangler Emeritus ), “Checkmate's Discount House of Spatulas”, in alt.usenet.kooks‎ (Usenet):

     > "an hour or two a day" "chasing old Checkmate posts."
     >
     >kek

Usage notes

• Since 2016, the term kek has been associated with some sectors of the American white supremacist alt-right movement.

Derived terms

• top kek
• Kekistan

Translations

Verb

kek (third-person singular simple present keks, present participle kekking or keking, simple past and past participle kekked or keked or kek'd)

1. (Internet slang) To laugh.

Synonyms

• LOL

See also

• kek lapis (etymologically unrelated)

References

Albanian

Etymology

A modern borrowing, from English cake.

Noun

kek n

1. cake, pie

Atong (India)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kek/

Etymology 1

From English cake.

Noun

kek (Bengali script কেক)

1. cake

Etymology 2

Verb

kek- (Bengali script কেক)

1. to chop (wood)

Etymology 3

Verb

kek- (Bengali script কেক)

1. to grow

Etymology 4

Adjective

kek- (Bengali script কেক, type 1)

1. blunt; dull

References

• van Breugel, Seino. 2015. Atong-English dictionary, second edition. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/487044/Atong_English_Dictionary.

Basque

Etymology 1

Noun

kek

1. ergative indefinite of ke

Etymology 2

Noun

kek

1. ergative plural of ka

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from German keck. Doublet of kwiek.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛk/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: kek
• Rhymes: -ɛk

Adjective

kek

1. (Netherlands) eye-catching (visually pleasing in a hip or bold manner)
   • 2016 February 19, Thijs Zonneveld, “De beige sjaal van Dick Advocaat is een statement”, in Algemeen Dagblad:

     Dick doet er niet aan mee. Geen kekke overhemden, geen moeilijke kapsels (al was dat over zijn schedel gekamde haar dat hij vroeger had ook een soort van hip, destijds), geen laklederen laarsjes en geen Only God Can Judge Me-tatoeage in zijn nek.

     Dick does not go along with it. No flashy shirts, no difficult hairdo (although the hairstyle that he used to have, hair combed sideways, was also some kind of trendy, at that time), no glossy leather boots and no "Only God Can Judge Me" tattoos on his neck.

2. (Netherlands, by extension) fashionable
3. (Netherlands) sassy (bold and spirited; cheeky)
   • 2013 October 13, Sjoerd Hartholt, “Zo stoppen we de terreur van de straatwervers”, in HP/De Tijd:

     In feite is het verschil met bedelende zwervers niet heel groot, alleen zijn die meestal veel minder opdringerig en aanwezig. Een ander verschil is dat straatwervers vaak kekke meisjes en jongens zijn die bovendien zeggen dat je kapsel tof is en dat je een relaxt persoon lijkt.

     In fact the difference with begging vagrants is not very large, but these are usually much less intrusive and prominent. Another difference is that street promoters are often cheeky girls and boys who moreover say that your hairstyle is swell and that you seem like a relaxed kind of person.

Synonyms

• (sassy, spirited): kittig
• (visually appealing): blits

Descendants

• Negerhollands: kek

Fiji Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from English cake.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /keːk/

Noun

kek

1. cake

References

• Fiji Hindi Dictionary

Iban

Etymology

Borrowed from English cake.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛk/

Noun

kek

1. cake

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛʔ/

Noun

kek

1. (vocative) Clipping of kakek.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /keʔ/
• (rare, especially when stressed) IPA^(key): /kek/

Adverb

kek

1. (colloquial) Syncopic form of kayak (“like, such as”)

Further reading

• “kek” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Malay

Etymology

From English cake.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -eʔ

Noun

kek (Jawi spelling کيک, plural kek-kek, informal 1st possessive kekku, 2nd possessive kekmu, 3rd possessive keknya)

1. cake

Further reading

• “kek” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• keik

Pronunciation

IPA^(key):

Verb

kek

1. past of kike

Talysh

Etymology

Cognate with Persian کک (kak).

Noun

kek

1. flea

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English cake.

Noun

kek

1. cake

Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from English cake.

Noun

kek (definite accusative keki, plural kekler)

1. cake

Usage notes

• It's called "pasta" when it's with cream filling

Declension

Volapük

Noun

kek (nominative plural keks)

1. cake

Declension

Zazaki

Etymology 1

Noun

kek m

1. Alternative form of kekı (“flea”)

Etymology 2

Noun

kek m

1. mister

Etymology 3

Noun

kek

1. cake