kemp1

[kemp] /kɛmp/
noun
1.
British Dialect.
  1. a strong, brave warrior.
  2. an athlete, especially a champion.
  3. a professional fighter.
  4. an impetuous or roguish young man.
2.
Scot. and North England. a contest, as between two athletes or two groups of workers, especially a reaping contest between farmworkers.
verb (used without object)
3.
Scot. and North England. to contest, fight, or strive, especially to strive in a reaping contest.
Origin
before 900; Middle English kempe, Old English cempa; cognate with Old Frisian kempa, kampa, Middle Dutch, Middle Low German kemp(e), Old High German chemp(i)o; ultimately < West Germanic, perhaps through Latin campiō; see champion

kemp2

[kemp] /kɛmp/
noun
1.
a short, coarse, brittle fiber, used chiefly in the manufacture of carpets.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English kempe coarse (said of hair); akin to Old English cenep mustache, bristly object, Old Norse kampr mustache, cat's whiskers
Related forms
kempy, adjective

Kemp

[kemp] /kɛmp/
noun
1.
Jack F. 1935–2009, U.S. politician: congressman 1970–89.
2.
a male given name.
Examples from the web for kemp
  • The crowd in the town, witnessing the pursuit, rally around kemp.
British Dictionary definitions for kemp

kemp

/kɛmp/
noun
1.
a coarse hair or strand of hair, esp one in a fleece that resists dyeing
Derived Forms
kempy, adjective
Word Origin
C14: from Old Norse kampr beard, moustache