Ket
name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 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 |...〉.
"A particular ket, say #124;A#92;rangle, might be represented by a particular column vector. Its corresponding bra, #92;langleA#124;, would then be represented by the row vector which is the transpose conjugate of that column vector."
- 2 Carrion; any filth. Northern-England, countable, uncountable
- 3 ketamine colloquial, uncountable
- 4 matted wool Scotland, uncountable
- 5 A member of a people of Krasnoyarsk Krai in Central Siberia, Russia.
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- 6 A native or inhabitant of Brussels. informal
- 7 Sweetmeats. Northumbria, countable, uncountable
- 8 A sweet, treat or candy. Wearside, countable, uncountable
- 1 A river in Russia, a tributary of the Ob.
- 2 The station code of Kennedy Town in Hong Kong.
- 3 The Yeniseian language of the Ket people.
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More examples"A particular ket, say #124;A#92;rangle, might be represented by a particular column vector. Its corresponding bra, #92;langleA#124;, would then be represented by the row vector which is the transpose conjugate of that column vector."
Etymology
From bra-ket notation invented by Paul Dirac, from bracket.
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.
Clipping of ketamine.
Learned borrowing from Ket кеʼт (keˀt, “human being”), via Russian.
Borrowed from Dutch Ket, derived from Dutch ket, Middle Dutch *kitte, Proto-West Germanic *kitte.
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