kite, n.

Forms:  Old English cyta, Middle English kete, kijt, kuytte, Middle English kuyte, Middle English–1600s kyte, (1500s kight, kighte, kyght, Scottish kyt), Middle English kite.

Etymology: Old English cýta ( < *kūtjon-); no related word appears in the cognate languages.

1. A bird of prey of the family Falconidæ and subfamily Milvinæ, having long wings, tail usually forked, and no tooth in the bill.

2. [ < its hovering in the air like the bird.] A toy consisting of a light frame, usually of wood, with paper or other light thin material stretched upon it; mostly in the form of an isosceles triangle with a circular arc as base, or a quadrilateral symmetrical about the longer diagonal; constructed (usually with a tail of some kind for the purpose of balancing it) to be flown in a strong wind by means of a long string attached. Also, a modification of the toy kite designed to support a man in the air or to form part of an unpowered flying machine. — Oxford English Dictionary