We report the first survey of chemical abundances in M and K dwarf stars using atomic absorption lines in high resolution spectra .
We have measured Fe and Ti abundances in 35 M and K dwarf stars using equivalent widths measured from \lambda / \Delta \lambda \approx 33 000 spectra .
Our analysis takes advantage of recent improvements in model atmospheres of low-temperature dwarf stars .
The stars have temperatures between 3300 and 4700 K , with most cooler than 4100 K. They cover an iron abundance range of -2.44 < [ Fe / H ] < +0.16 .
Our measurements show [ Ti/Fe ] decreasing with increasing [ Fe/H ] , a trend similar to that measured for warmer stars where abundance analysis techniques have been tested more thoroughly .
This study is a step toward the observational calibration of procedures to estimate the metallicity of low-mass dwarf stars using photometric and low-resolution spectral indices .