kiss

Dictionary: kiss (kĭs) pronunciation

v., kissed, kiss·ing, kiss·es.

v.tr.

To touch or caress with the lips as an expression of affection, greeting, respect, or amorousness.
To touch lightly or gently: flowers that were kissed by dew.
To strike lightly; brush against: barely kissed the other car with the bumper.

v.intr.

To engage in mutual touching or caressing with the lips.
To come into light contact.

A caress or touch with the lips.
A slight or gentle touch.
A small piece of candy, especially of chocolate.
A drop cookie made of egg whites and sugar.

phrasal verbs:

kiss off Slang.

To dismiss or reject.
To be forced to give up or regard as lost: He can kiss off that promotion.
To leave or disappear from notice: got bad press by telling the reporters to kiss off.

kiss up Slang.

To behave obsequiously; fawn.

idioms:

kiss ass Vulgar Slang.

To act submissively or obsequiously in order to gain favor.

kiss goodbye

Informal. To be forced to regard as lost, ruined, or hopeless: She can kiss her vacation plans goodbye.

[Middle English kissen, from Old English cyssan.]

kissable kiss'a·ble adj.

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World of the Body: kiss

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To kiss — to make contact with the lips — is often a sign of friendship or affection. In this respect it is seen as a Western gesture of intimacy and is not, therefore, observed in all cultures.

The target of the kiss is not of course restricted to the mouth and can be directed to any part of the body, with varying pressure. There are different types of kissing behaviour, such as mouth-to-mouth, French kissing, and cunnilingus. The ‘French kiss’ is a type of sexual arousal in which two people kiss with their mouths open so that the tongues can touch. This is sometimes also called ‘soul kiss’ or ‘tongue kiss’. Cunnilingus is another type of sexual kissing whereby a person stimulates the external female genital organs (vulva, clitoris) with the mouth or tongue. The word ‘cunnilingus’ is derived from the Latin cunnus meaning ‘vulva, vagina’, and lingua meaning ‘tongue’ (or lingere ‘to lick up’).

The use of the kiss can also be seen as a religio-erotic symbol in the West. One of the most famous of all kisses was the kiss of betrayal: Judas' kiss. In the Christian tradition, Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss and in doing so brought death and treachery to an act that was associated with peace and unity. St Augustine later warns against the misuse of the physical kiss, especially if the heart is full of deceit and dishonesty. That Judas betrayed his master with a kiss was accounted by Christians as a betrayal of the kiss itself as well as of the Lord. In the early Christian centuries the kiss was a mystic symbol imbued with powerful feelings such as peace, union, and love. As Nicolas Perella states in The Kiss Sacred and Profane (1969): ‘The repeated use of this formula and the contexts in which it occurs suggests that the kiss was quickly institutionalized in the young Christian community as a mystic symbol both in liturgical and non-liturgical ceremony’.

In the early centuries it was the practice of Christian iconography to borrow motifs from well-established pagan myths; especially in the case of sarcophagi designs. Among the motifs applicable in this way were those connected with the myth of Psyche and Eros; one of the most favoured by the Christians of Rome was the image that showed a pair embracing and kissing. Psyche — the human soul of the departed, and Eros — always a powerful god of love. Nicolas Perella suggests that this was acceptable to the Christians because it could well depict a wedding union in heaven. It is Eros who bestows the kiss, with all the suggestion that he is infusing the spirit of new life into Psyche. Thus the adoption of the ‘kissing couple’ is understandable.

The kiss of life and the kiss of death, are the extreme life forces which have become powerful symbols for writers and artists. The breath or spirit of God has always been seen as a life-giving act, and the Holy Spirit can be given in the form of a kiss. For example, the Virgin Mary was kissed by the Holy Spirit so that she might become impregnated. The iconography of a kiss often portrays both ecstasy and death simultaneously. The kiss of death is at its most obvious when we see Judas kiss Jesus; this is both a physical and metaphorical manifestation, which results in a corporeal death.

By the sixteenth century, authors were using the kiss and death as sexual metaphors. The kiss, both given and stolen, is romanticized in poetry and prose. The traditional medieval motif, for example, of the poet seeking solace from his lovesickness is disguised in the wantoness of his lover's kisses. The poet was often chaste where his love and kisses were concerned; the Metaphysical poets, in particular, wrote of the constant turmoil where sexual and platonic love were concerned.

Another method of inviting a kiss, though not necessarily of giving one, can be found in the ‘language of the fan’ in the eighteenth century. Though used as a form of concealment, the fan, when pressed to the lips, indicated the anticipation of a kiss. The pressure of the fan on the mouth would often indicate the level of sincerity and passion involved.

A number of modern-day artists and writers have used kissing as a powerful and symbolic form of friendship, intimacy, and sexual activity. The well-known Parisian artist Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), for example, immortalized a man and a woman coming together in this way when he produced a life-size sculpture in marble, entitled The Kiss, in 1886. By contrast, in 1897 the French anthropologist Paul d'Enjoy remarked on the horror of the Chinese at seeing mouth-to-mouth kissing by Westerners.

Another way of using the kiss as a dramatic and controlling device can be seen as a power play between the two sexes, especially in the guise of fairytales. Twentieth-century notions of the male as hero, waking up and resuscitating the ‘sleeping’ female with his kiss have been challenged by feminist writers such as Simone de Beauvoir. Myths of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’, ‘Snow White’, and ‘Cinderella’ that are handed down from generation to generation, usually to girls, depicting the all-embracing kiss, are being re-assessed in the wake of feminist theory.

— Anne Abichou

Bibliography

Beauvoir, S. de (reprint 1970). The second sex. Bantam Books Inc., New York.
Kolbenschlas, M. (1979). Goodbye Sleeping Beauty. Breaking the spell of feminine myths and models. The Women's Press, Dublin.
Liggett, J. (1974). The human face. Constable, London.
Perella, N. J. (1969). The kiss sacred and profane. An interpretative history of kiss symbolism and related religio-erotic themes. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles

Biology and evolution

Black-tailed Prairie Dogs "kissing"

Anthropologists have not reached a conclusion as to whether kissing is learned or a behavior from instinct. It may be related to grooming behavior also seen between other animals, or arising as a result of mothers premasticating food for their children.^[1]

Kissing allows prospective mates to taste and smell each other's pheromones for biological compatibility. Women are subconsciously more attracted to men whose major histocompatibility complex portion of their genome is different from their own, leading to offspring with resistance to a greater number of diseases due to heterosis, and thus having a better chance of survival.^[2] ^[3] ^[4]

Non-human primates also exhibit kissing behavior.^[5] Dogs, cats, birds and other animals display licking and grooming behavior among themselves, but also towards humans or other species. This is sometimes interpreted by observers as a type of kissing.

The physiology of kissing

Kissing is a complex behavior that requires significant muscular coordination; a total of thirty-four facial muscles and 112 postural muscles are used during a kiss.^[6]^[7] The most important muscle involved is the orbicularis oris muscle, which is used to pucker the lips and informally known as the kissing muscle.^{[citation needed]} In the case of the French kiss, the tongue is also an important part. Lips have many nerve endings so they are sensitive to touch and bite.^[8]

Disease transmission

Diseases which may be transmitted through kissing include mononucleosis and herpes, when the infectious virus is present in saliva. Research indicates that contraction of HIV via kissing is extremely unlikely, although a woman has been infected with HIV by kissing in 1997; both the woman and infected man had gum disease (so transmission was through the man's blood, not saliva).^[9]

Health benefits

Affection in general has stress-reducing affects. Kissing in particular has been studied in a controlled experiment: increasing the frequency of kissing in marital and cohabiting relationships was found to result in a reduction of perceived stress, an increase in relationship satisfaction, and a lowering of cholesterol levels.^[10]

The attributable actions of Kissing

One needs to understand that as such actions inherently within us, there as been developments into understanding the different actions that have come to be associated with kisses; ranging from the blowing of a kiss to an intimate touching of lips with respective individuals. A show of emtions have come to be associated with this form of actions; from communicating ones affections to relaying one's understanding of what the other person might be feeling deep down. Understanding this feelings alone perhaps draws on many historical events, documented stories, written out journals on all types of behaviours that allow for kissing to take shape.

I will not kiss you unless an emotion compels me to has always led the subjective mind of every individual. Take which ever stance you mught prefer to take, kissing definitely can be linked to all kinds of studies been examined through anthrological studies of what we perhaps need to sustain ourselves. <Reference> Richard M. Manzini "not published" explanatory notes from a poem called 'kissing you' dated; 28th December 2008

Kissing in Western culture

The beloved's hand is kissed in the classic "one-knee" marriage proposal, ca. 1815.

A kiss on the lips is often amorous in nature.

In modern Western culture, kissing is most commonly an expression of affection.^[11] Between people of close acquaintance, a reciprocal kiss often is offered as a greeting or farewell.^[12] This kind of kiss is typically made by brief contact of puckered lips to the skin of the cheek or no contact at all, and merely performed in the air near the cheek with the cheeks touching.^[13] People may kiss children on the forehead to comfort them or the cheek to show affection, and vice versa.

As an expression of romantic affection or sexual desire in Western culture, kissing involves two people pressing their lips together with an intensity of sexual feeling. A couple may open their mouths, suck on each other's lips or move their tongues into each others' mouths (see French kiss).

Peasant kissing a soldier of the "Army of Liberation" on a Soviet propaganda poster issued after the joint Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland

In Slavic cultures until recent times, kissing between two men on the lips as a greeting or a farewell was not uncommon and not considered sexual.^{[citation needed]} Symbolic kissing is frequent in Western cultures. A kiss can be "blown" to another by kissing the fingertips and then blowing the fingertips, pointing them in the direction of the recipient. This is used to convey affection, usually when parting or when the partners are physically distant but can view each other. Blown kisses are also used when a person wishes to convey affection to a large crowd or audience. In written correspondence a kiss has been represented by the letter 'X' since at least 1763.^[14] A stage or screen kiss may be performed by actually kissing, or faked by using the thumbs as a barrier for the lips and turning so the audience is unable to fully see the act.

In some Western cultures it is considered good luck to kiss someone on Christmas or on New Year's Eve, especially beneath a sprig of mistletoe.

Kissing in non-Western cultures

Some literatures suggest that a non-trivial percentage of humanity does not kiss.^[15]

In Sub Saharan African, Asiatic, Polynesian and possibly in some Native American cultures, kissing was relatively unimportant until European and Western colonization.^[16]

With the Andamanese, kissing was only used as a sign of affection towards children and had no sexual undertones.^[17]

Kissing in traditional Islamic cultures is not accepted between two members of the opposite sex who are not married or closely related by blood or marriage. More liberal-minded societies, such as that of Lebanon or Egypt, allow such kisses as greetings; more secular-minded individuals living in more traditional societies may have a similar view. Kisses on the cheek are a very common form of greeting among members of the same sex in most Islamic countries, following the Mediterranean pattern.

Kissing in religion

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

This woodcut of the practice of kissing the Pope's toe is from Passionary of the Christ and Antichrist by Cranach.

Muslims may kiss the Black Stone during Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).
In Ancient Rome and some modern Pagan beliefs, worshipers when passing the statue or image of a god or goddess will kiss their hand and wave it towards the deity (adoration).
In the gospels of Matthew and Mark (Luke and John omit this) Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss—an instance of a kiss intertwined with betrayal. This is the basis of the term 'the kiss of Judas'
The holy kiss or kiss of peace is a traditional part of most Christian liturgies, though usually replaced with an embrace or handshake today in Western cultures
The Pope will kiss the ground on arrival to a new country.
Visitors to the Pope traditionally kiss his foot. (The ring of a cardinal or bishop, hand of a priest.)
Jews will kiss the Western wall of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and other religious articles during prayer such as the Torah, usually by touching their hand, Tallis, or Siddur (prayerbook) to the Torah and then kissing it. Jewish law prohibits kissing members of the opposite sex, except for certain close relatives. See Negiah.
Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians often kiss the icons around the church as entering, they will also kiss the cross and / or the priests hand in certain other customs in the Church, such as confession or receiving a blessing.
Catholics will kiss rosary beads as a part of prayer, or kiss their hand after making the sign of the cross. It is also common to kiss the wounds on a crucifix, or any other image of Christ's Passion.
Hindus sometimes kiss the ground of a temple.
Local lore in Ireland suggests that kissing the Blarney Stone leads to good luck.

Footnotes references

^ Premastication - Langmaker
^ Santos, PS; Schinemann JA, Gabardo J, Bicalho Mda G. (2005). "New evidence that the MHC influences odor perception in humans: a study with 58 Southern Brazilian students.". Hormones & Behavior 47: 384–388. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2004.11.005. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15777804.
^ Wedekind, C.; Seebeck, T., Bettens, F. and Paepke, A. J. (1995). "MHC-dependent mate preferences in humans". Proceedings: Biological Sciences 260 (1359): 245–249. doi:10.1098/rspb.1995.0087. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0962-8452(19950622)260%3A1359%3C245%3AMMPIH%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Y.
^ Fiore, Kristina (October 2, 2006). "Why do humans kiss?". Scienceline. http://scienceline.org/2006/10/02/ask-fiore-kiss/.
^ "How animals kiss and make up". BBC News. October 13, 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3183516.stm.
^ Adrienne Blue (1996-06-01). "The kiss". The Independent (London). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19960601/ai_n14047247. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
^ Roger Highfield (2006-10-17). "Seal with..146 muscles". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2006/10/17/dlkiss17.xml. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
^ "The mystery of the kiss". Los Angeles Times. 2008-02-04. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/feb/04/health/he-esoterica4.
^ Case of H.I.V. Transmission Is First to Be Linked to Kiss - New York Times
^ Kory Floyd, Justin P. Boren, Annegret F. Hannawa, Colin Hesse, Breanna McEwan, Alice E. Veksler, "Kissing in Marital and Cohabiting Relationships: Effects on Blood Lipids, Stress, and Relationship Satisfaction", Western Journal of Communication, Vol. 73, No. 2, Apr. 2009, pp. 113 - 133.
^ Larry James (2008-03-04). "The Romantic Kiss". The Zambian Chronicle. http://zambianchronicle.com/category/romantic-expressions/. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
^ "Better Not Miss the Buss". The New York Times. 2006-04-06. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/06/fashion/thursdaystyles/06kiss.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
^ Marie Sophie Hahnsson. "Cheek Kissing". University of Oslo. http://folk.uio.no/mariesha/webmag/cheekKissing.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-29.
^ "Oxford English Dictionary - X". Oxford University press. 1999. http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50288416. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
^ Affairs of the Lips: Why We Kiss: Scientific American
^ Keith Thomas (2005-06-11). "Put your sweet lips...". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article531696.ece. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
^ Chapter: 9: A Traditional Society

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kisses

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Kissing

Put your sweet lips... (A history of the kiss), Keith Thomas, The Times, June 11, 2005
The Kiss of Life, Joshua Foer, New York Times, February 14, 2006
How Kissing Works, History and Anatomy of the Kiss, Tracy V. Wilson, Howstuffworks
Kiss in the Street, Etienne Martin, StreetArt
Scientific American Affairs of the Lips: Why We Kiss
Famous Kisses From Judas to Spider-Man
[Kiss Me, I'M CRAZY!]
Wiki articles on how to Kiss and french kiss
Kissing banned in British Railway stations

French kiss (rouler) un patin (fam)
kiss and tell (mémoires, histoire) où une femme raconte une liaison qu'elle a eue avec une personnalité en vue
kiss goodbye to dire au revoir à, en faire un deuil
kiss of death porter le coup fatal à
kiss of life bouche-à-bouche
kiss off (US) virer (un employé), plaquer (qn)
kiss the ground (fig) mordre la poussière
kiss up to se comporter de façon obséquieuse, flatter exagérément, s'insinuer dans les bonne grâces de (qn)

abbr. - (abrév = Keep it Simple, Stupid ) Ne le complique pas, Ne le rend pas sophistiqué

Deutsch (German)
n. - Kuß, leichte Berührung
v. - küssen, leicht berühren

idioms:

French kiss Zungenkuß
kiss and tell Enthüllungen über sexuelle Abenteuer
kiss goodbye to Abschiedskuß geben, abschreiben
kiss of death Todesstoß, Danaergeschenk
kiss of life Mund-zu-Mund-Beatmung
kiss off jdn rausschmeißen, jdn plötzlich entlassen
kiss the ground sich demütig unterwerfen
kiss up to jdn unterwürfig behandeln um etw. zu erreichen

abbr. - dumm, schlicht, leicht gemacht

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - φιλί, ασπασμός
v. - φιλώ, ασπάζομαι
abbr. - (keep it simple, stupid) μην το δυσκολεύεις

idioms:

French kiss γαλλικό φιλί (με γλώσσα)
kiss and tell διηγούμαι τις ερωτικές μου επιτυχίες, είμαι μαρτυριάρης
kiss goodbye to αποχαιρετώ
kiss of death θανατερό φιλί
kiss of life φιλί της ζωής
kiss the ground τρώω χώμα, εξευτελίζομαι

Italiano (Italian)
baciare, bacio

idioms:

French kiss bacio alla francese
kiss and tell pubblicare i propri successi sessuali
kiss goodbye to accomiatarsi con un bacio
kiss of death colpo di grazia
kiss of life respirazione bocca a bocca
kiss the ground prostrarsi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - beijo (m), suspiro (m) (Culin.)
v. - beijar

idioms:

French kiss beijo (m) de língua
kiss and tell revelações (f pl) embaraçosas
kiss goodbye to dar adeus a (algo)
kiss of death algo destrutivo ou fatal
kiss of life respiração (f) boca-a-boca
kiss the ground beijar a lona

Русский (Russian)
поцелуй, легкое прикосновение

idioms:

French kiss страстный любовный поцелуй
kiss and tell рассказывать о свих любовных похождениях
kiss goodbye to прощальный поцелуй
kiss of death смертельный удар
kiss of life искусственное дыхание "рот в рот", новая жизнь
kiss the ground пасть ниц

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - besar
v. intr. - besar, besarse, dar un beso
n. - beso, roce, merengue

idioms:

French kiss beso francés
kiss and tell dar un beso y confesarlo todo, beso de Judas
kiss goodbye to despedirse de algo, renunciar, darse cuenta de que algo está perdido
kiss of death beso de la muerte, golpe de gracia
kiss of life respiración boca a boca
kiss off rechazar, ignorar
kiss the ground besar el suelo, postrarse en señal de sumisión
kiss up to besar hasta

abbr. - No Molestes, Estúpido

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kyss, puss
v. - kyssa(s), pussa(s)
abbr. - keep it simple, stupid (vard.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
吻, 轻拂, 轻触, 接吻, 轻抚

idioms:

French kiss 舌伸入对方口中的接吻方式
kiss and tell 根据第一手资料写成的绯闻或丑闻故事
kiss goodbye to 对某人吻别, 对...告别
kiss of death 死亡之吻, 表面上看来无害而实际上具毁灭性的事物或行为
kiss of life 生命之吻
kiss the ground 伏地, 屈辱

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 吻, 輕拂, 輕觸
v. intr. - 接吻, 輕撫, 輕觸
n. - 吻, 輕拂, 輕觸

idioms:

French kiss 舌伸入對方口中的接吻方式
kiss and tell 根據第一手資料寫成的緋聞或醜聞故事
kiss goodbye to 對某人吻別, 對...告別
kiss of death 死亡之吻, 表面上看來無害而實際上具毀滅性的事物或行為
kiss of life 生命之吻
kiss the ground 伏地, 屈辱

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 입을 맞추다, 가볍게 스치다, 어루만지다
v. intr. - 입맞추다, 살짝 닿다
n. - 키스, 가벼운 접촉

idioms:

kiss goodbye to 작별의 키스를 하다

abbr. - Keep It Simple(쉽게 해)

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - キス, 軽い接触
v. - キスする, 軽く触れる

idioms:

kiss and tell 信頼を裏切る
kiss goodbye to 別れのキスをする, 無いものとあきらめる
kiss of death 破滅のもと
kiss of life 呼気人工呼吸
kiss the ground 平伏する, 屈辱をなめる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قبله (فعل) يقبل (اختصار) مختصر : لا تعقد الأمور keep it simple stupid‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮נישק‬
v. intr. - ‮התנשק‬
n. - ‮נשיקה, ממתק קטן משוקולד או חלבון מוקצף, "הסבר בקיצור ובפשטות!" (ר"ת)‬
abbr. - ‮עקרון הפשטות‬

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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
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		Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
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kiss

Contents

Biology and evolution

The physiology of kissing

Disease transmission

Health benefits

Kissing in Western culture

Kissing in non-Western cultures

Kissing in religion

Footnotes references

External links

See also