jongleur (en)

an itinerant minstrel

Jorge Luis Borges (en)

Argentine writer most famous for his map/territory story

joss (en)

(noun) a Chinese idol or cult image / (noun) a Chinese temple or shrine / (noun) a slender stick of incense burned in front of a joss

jouissance (fr)

physical or intellectual pleasure, delight, or ecstasy; the concept featured heavily in the psychoanalysis of Jacques Lacan's and was expanded on by Roland Barthes for literary theory, to contrast with mere "pleasure" derived from reading texts that don't challenge the reader as a subject. can also refer to pleasure that devolves into pain

juridical (en)

relating to judicial proceedings and the administration of the law

juvenescence (en)

youth

Kabbalah (en)

the ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible; as an adjective, refers to something secretive or mysterious

Kadarization (en)

a reference to Janos Kadar, a Hungarian communist leader who assumed power in 1956 with the putative support but not the trust of the Soviet Union (I think)

kallocratic (en)

rule by beauty (from Greek kallos)

karstic (en)

(noun) an irregular limestone region with sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns

keister (en)

(North American) buttocks

Kekulian (en)

(adj) relating to German organic chemist Friedrich August Kekulé, who discovered the structure of benzene in an Friedrich ouroboros-themed dream

keller (en)

basement

keloid (en)

(noun) a thick scar resulting from excessive growth of fibrous tissue

Kemalist (en)

of the founding ideology of the Republic of Turkey, implemented by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and defined by sweeping political, social, cultural and religious reforms designed to separate the new Turkish state from its Ottoman predecessor and embrace a Westernized way of living

kepi (en)

(from the French képi) a French military cap with a flat top and horizontal brim

Kern unseres Wesen (de)

"nucleus of our being"; from Freudian psychology

Keynesian (en)

theories about how in the short run, and especially during recessions, economic output is strongly influenced by aggregate demand; developed by British economist John Maynard Keynes

kibitzed (ji)

(from Yiddish) look on and offer unwelcome advice, especially at a card game OR to chat, gossip, or make small talk

kif (en)

a substance, especially cannabis, smoked to produce a drowsy state (from Arabic)

kismet (en)

destiny; fate

Kleinstaaterei (de)

a pejorative word mainly used to denote the territorial fragmentation in Germany and neighboring regions during the Holy Roman Empire

Klieg light (en)

an intense carbon arc lamp especially used in filmmaking

knecht (en)

German for servant or slave; mentioned in Hegel's "Lordship and Bondage" as Knechtschaft

Kondratieff cycles (en)

a proposed economic phenomenon whereby profits decrease over time (as monopolistic forces decline), in a cycle; phases: expansion, stagnation, and recession