Kif

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A drowsy, dreamy state of calm contentment or idle lethargy ; a narcotic preparation made from dried hemp leaves and flowers, smoked in North Africa
2. A languid, pleasantly drowsy condition of relaxed inertia ; a hemp-based drug, often a powder or resin, traditionally smoked in parts of North Africa
3. A lazy, tranquil stupor of dreamy relaxation ; a cannabis product prepared from hemp and consumed in North African countries

Etymology: In Arabic, "kayf" is an ordinary question word meaning "how?" It also came to mean "state" or "condition," and in North Africa it acquired the sense of a pleasant, tranquil state of mind. That sense was tied to the hemp preparation the Arabic-speaking world called "kif," which was the source of the drowsy, dreamy intoxication the English word describes. Through French, the Arabic term reached European languages as a name for hashish and the mellow, languid state it produces. English took it with the same drift, so "kif" now means a sluggish, dreamy stupor, with the drug's effect remaining at its core. The English word has no connection to the common "kiff," the Dutch-derived term for a state of ease that is often confused with it.