English

Alternative forms

• keir

Noun

kier ‎(plural kiers)

1. A bleaching vat.
   • 1934, Harry Bennett, Two Thousand Formulas, Recipes & Trade Secrets: The Classic “Do-It-Yourself” Book of Practical Everyday Chemistry, page 265,

     The oil is added to the saturated liquor, which is afterwards introduced into the kier. There is no change required in the bleaching operation.

   • 1999, Samir Ranjan Karmakar, Chemical Technology In The Pre-Treatment Processes Of Textiles, Elsevier, page 65,

     The traditional sequence of pre-treatment is shortened by single stage bleaching, where kiers are still in use.

   • 2007, Sarah Tarlow, The Archaeology of Improvement in Britain, 1750-1850, Cambridge University Press, page 166,

     Inside the typically long, narrow bleaching crofts were cisterns for bleaching cotton yarn, now represented by sunken stone tanks, and sealed vats called ‘kiers’ for bleaching cloth. The kiers would have been two storeys high and made of metal, but now all that remains are the footings and brackets that show where they once stood (2004: 99).

Synonyms

• keeve

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -iːr

Noun

kier m, f ‎(plural kieren, diminutive kiertje n)

1. fissure, narrow opening

   De deur stond op een kier

Anagrams

• reik, riek

Luxembourgish

Verb

kier

1. second-person singular imperative of kieren

Polish

Etymology

From French cœur ‎(“heart”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʲɛr/

Noun

kier m anim

1. (card games) heart (a suit of cards)

Declension

Related terms

• karo, trefl, pik