kensington

plural kensingtons · alternative Kensington · alternative Kensington party

1. Midwestern USUSWesterndatedA sewing circle for women.

   House-parties and kensingtons were the predominating features of the ΔΗ girls' summer.

   1917 November, Ruth Ebling, “Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa”, in The Trident of Delta Delta Delta, volume 27, number 1, Lynchburg: J. P. Bell Co., →OCLC, page 54

   5 more examples

   Owing to a scarcity of coal in the University, we girls had an unexpected week of vacation, and the town girls helped us make the time fly, with kensingtons and bridge parties.

   1910 April, Beulah Lasher, “Tau; University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa”, in Anchora of Delta Gamma, volume 26, number 3, Menasha: George Banta Pub. Co., page 207

   Kensingtons are held the first and third Fridays of the month. They are held at the homes, are well attended and much enjoyed. Owing to the enforced quarantines due to the epidemics of influenza we have not been able to hold our regular meetings or kensingtons much of the winter.

   1919 April, WM. F. Speer, “The Auxiliary: Clinton, Ia”, in The Railway Conductor, volume 36, number 4, Cedar Rapids: Order of Railway Conductors, →OCLC, page 190

   It is refreshing to note that teachers' activities were noted in 97 per cent of the community clubs. These included kensingtons, sewing clubs, music clubs, and culture clubs.

   1919, “Industrial and Social Conditions and Suggestions of Teachers”, in The Rural Teacher of Nebraska, Washington: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 59

   But if you were the mother of four, if you had not been shopping in Dale City for seven months, if in that time your wildest orgies had been two or three kensingtons ("kensington" being the Meadows equivalent of "sewing circle"), the day would have taken on the nature of an event.

   1926, Bess Streeter Aldrich, The Cutters, New York: D. Appleton & Co., →OCLC, page 29

   “If you’re sure there’s nothing I can do at the office,” she said, “I’ll go on to the kensington at Mrs. Henderson’s.”

   1932, Ruthe S. Wheeler, Helen in the Editor's Chair, Chicago: Goldsmith Pub. Co., →OCLC, page 115

1. An affluent area of west London in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Greater London; South Kensington contains several major museums.
2. A suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England (OS grid ref SJ3690).
3. A town in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada.First known use 1886

   Synonyms: Barretts Cross

4. A number of places in the United States:
   1. A census-designated place in San Diego County, California.
   2. A census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California.
   3. A census-designated place in the town of Berlin, Hartford County, Connecticut.
   4. An unincorporated community in Walker County, Georgia.
   5. A neighbourhood of Chicago, Illinois.
   6. A minor city in Smith County, Kansas.
   7. A town in Montgomery County, Maryland.
   8. An unincorporated community in Lyon Township, Oakland County, Michigan.
   9. A minor city in Douglas County, Minnesota.
   10. A town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire.
   11. A village in Nassau County, Long Island, New York.
   12. A neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York City.

       To every New Yorker in Kensington and Midwood and Hunts Point, know this: This city is your city, and this democracy is yours too.

       2025 November 5, Zohran Mamdani, “The Full Transcript of Zohran Mamdani’s Victory Speech”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Nov 2025

   13. An unincorporated community in Hanover Township, Columbiana County, Ohio.
   14. A neighbourhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

       “There are over 150 channels dedicated to Kensington and all the things that take place here,” said Sarah Laurel, founder of Savage Sisters, a non-profit in Kensington supporting those affected by substance disorders.

       2023 December 17, Olivia Empson, quoting Sarah Laurel, “‘Tranq tourism’: alarm in Philadelphia as TikTokers travel to film drug users”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

5. A suburb of Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand.
6. A suburb of Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand.
7. A suburb of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
8. A suburb of Sydney in the Randwick council area, New South Wales, Australia.
9. A suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

plural Kensingtons

1. datedAlternative letter-case form of kensington (“sewing circle”).

   The second in a series of delightful knitting Kensingtons was given Wednesday afternoon by Mrs. E. A. Wall at her handsome home.

   1917 December 1, Goodwin's Weekly, Salt Lake City, →OCLC, page 9

   3 more examples

   She wished Kate had not told her of the weekly sewing club, of the matinee-parties, the afternoon Kensingtons, the times down town when they had met, and Elsie had been, according to Kate's glowing account, "the life of the crowd."

   1910 May, Josephine Spencer, “To Keep.”, in Young Woman's Journal, volume 21, number 5, Salt Lake City: Organ of Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Associations, →OCLC, page 251

   Besides the usual social affairs given in the usual ways, Iota chapter is giving a series of Pre-Holiday Kensingtons and teas entertaining forty different girls, the majority of whom are to be non-sorority girls, each afternoon. The guests are invited to bring their Holiday sewing and the affairs are to be very informal.

   1915 February, “Delta Zeta”, in The Key — Kappa Kappa Gamma, volume 32, number 1, Menasha: George Banta Pub. Co., page 97

   We have all-day Kensingtons, then we serve dinner and supper to the carmen. We also sew and do fancy work, which we sell for the benefit of the lodge.

   1922 November, “Loyal Star Department: Cedar Rapids, Iowa”, in Railway Carmen's Journal, volume 27, number 11, Kansas City: Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, →OCLC, page 706