What does kited mean?
“Kited” is chiefly the past tense and past participle of the verb “kite.” Its most familiar sense refers to flying a kite: a person kites a kite by holding its line and allowing the wind to lift it. The word can also describe anything rising or moving lightly through the air, as when loose paper is said to be kited above a fire or a bird kites upward on a thermal. These uses give the word a lively, airy quality and emphasize movement controlled by wind rather than ordinary mechanical motion. In its rare adjectival use, “kited” means provided or fitted with a kite. Although “kited” is not usually treated as a vocabulary word on its own, it is useful for recognizing the full grammatical range of “kite” and for adding vividness to descriptions of flight, buoyancy, and wind.
To fly or make something fly as a kite; also, to rise or move upward buoyantly.
"The boy kited his new kite over the field."
The transitive and intransitive uses are both established, though the word is most often encountered as a past form in narrative writing.
Fitted or provided with a kite.
"The banner was kited with a small, diamond-shaped sail."
This adjectival use is uncommon and is mainly literary or specialized.
From sending a kite skyward to describing paper dancing above a fire, “kited” captures movement governed by the lightest touch of the wind.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does kited come from?
The word descends from Middle English “kite,” with earlier forms including “kite” and “kitte,” which developed from Old English “cyte,” a name for the bird now called a kite. The verb developed later by extension from the object flown and was then applied figuratively to buoyant upward movement. Related forms include Dutch “kijt” and German “Kite,” which also originally referred to the bird.
Related word forms
How kited is actually used
The verb is most often encountered in narrative or descriptive writing, especially when describing a kite, lightweight objects, or something moving upward in the wind. The adjectival use is rare and should not be confused with the more familiar compound “kite-flying.”
Easily confused with kited
“Kited” means that something was flown as a kite or carried upward buoyantly, whereas “tied” means that something was secured with a knot or cord.