*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ket

From bra-ket notation invented by Paul Dirac, from bracket.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A column vector, in Hilbert space, especially as representing the state of a quantum mechanical system; the complex conjugate transpose of a bra (a row vector); a ket vector. Symbolised by |...〉.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From bra-ket notation invented by Paul Dirac, from bracket.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "bra-ket",
      "bra-ket#English"
    ],
    [
      "bracket",
      "bracket#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A column vector, in Hilbert space, especially as representing the state of a quantum mechanical system; the complex conjugate transpose of a bra (a row vector); a ket vector. Symbolised by |...〉."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Carrion; any filth. · Sweetmeats. · A sweet, treat or candy.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably of Old Norse origin like kjǫt (“meat”), from Proto-Germanic *ketwą. Compare Icelandic kjöt (“flesh”); akin to Swedish kött, Danish kød, and Norwegian kjøtt. The use of the term ket for "candy" or "sweets" probably derived from its use to describe sweet meats or as a deterrent to children.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*ketwą"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *ketwą"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "kjöt",
        "3": "",
        "4": "flesh"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic kjöt (“flesh”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "kjǫt",
      "kjǫt#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*ketwą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/ketwą"
    ],
    [
      "kjöt",
      "kjöt#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "kött",
      "kött#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "kød",
      "kød#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "kjøtt",
      "kjøtt#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Carrion; any filth.",
        "Sweetmeats.",
        "A sweet, treat or candy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "Northumbria",
        "Wearside"
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

ketamine

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of ketamine.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ketamine"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of ketamine"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ketamine",
      "ketamine#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "word": "ket",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "ketamine"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ket →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-a2V0