means To strike out forcefully with the foot, or the act of doing so — also a sudden recoil, a thrill, or the impulse that launches something into motion.

from From Middle English 'kiken,' a word of obscure origin that simply appears in the language around the 14th century, likely echoing the abrupt motion it names. Scholars suspect a Scandinavian source — Old Norse had 'kikna,' to sink at the knees — but the trail goes cold quickly. The figurative senses came later: a drink with a 'kick' (an 1840s Americanism), getting a 'kick' out of something, and the addict's 'kick' the habit, all built on the same idea of a sharp, sudden jolt.