English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
noun

kappa

KA-puh
noun
1
The tenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Κ, κ).
"Kappa sits between iota and lambda in the Greek alphabet."
2
In finance, a measure of how sensitive an option’s price is to changes in the expected volatility of the underlying asset.
"A high kappa means the option’s value swings sharply with volatility changes."
3
In Japanese folklore, a mischievous water-dwelling creature resembling a small, turtle-like humanoid.
"Local legend warned children to stay away from the river because of the kappa."
intj
1
Internet slang used to flag a statement as sarcastic or not meant literally, from a Twitch emote of the same name.
"Yeah, sure, I totally meant to lose that match. Kappa."

How to Use Kappa

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA Greek letter, a finance term for volatility sensitivity, a Japanese water spirit, or (online) a sarcasm marker — four unrelated meanings sharing one spelling.

Word Forms

kappas plural, kappas plural, Kappas plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “kappa” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ sits between iota and lambda in the Greek alphabet.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek kappa, the letter name. The internet slang sense is unrelated, taken from "Kappa," the name of a popular sarcasm emote on the streaming platform Twitch.

Rhymes for kappa

See all rhymes for kappa →
Definitions: FreeDict original editorial