Adjacent Words

Ken definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

KEN, v.t. [L. canus, white, caneo, to be white, and this with L. cano, to sing, canto, Eng. to cant, to chant; L. gigno.]
1. To see at a distance; to descry.
We ken them from afar.
2. To know; to understand. [This verb is used chiefly in poetry.]
KEN, v.i. To look round.
KEN, n. View; reach of sight.
Coasting they kept the land within their ken.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: range of what one can know or understand; "beyond my ken" [syn: cognizance, ken]
2: the range of vision; "out of sight of land" [syn: sight, ken]

Merriam Webster's

or Kenn biographical name Thomas 1637-1711 English prelate & hymn writer

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (kenned; kenning) Etymology: Middle English kennen, from Old English cennan to make known & Old Norse kenna to perceive; both akin to Old English can know — more at can Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. archaic see 2. chiefly dialect recognize 3. chiefly Scottish know intransitive verb chiefly Scottish know II. noun Date: 1590 1. a. the range of vision b. sight, view <'tis double death to drown in ken of shore — Shakespeare> 2. the range of perception, understanding, or knowledge <abstract words that are beyond the ken of young children — Lois M. Rettie>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. range of sight or knowledge (it's beyond my ken). --v.tr. (kenning; past and past part. kenned or kent) Sc. & N.Engl. 1 recognize at sight. 2 know. Etymology: OE cennan f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ken Ken, n. [Perh. from kennel.] A house; esp., one which is a resort for thieves. [Slang, Eng.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ken Ken, n. t. [imp. & p. p. Kenned; p. pr. & vb. n. Kenning.] [OE. kennen to teach, make known, know, AS. cennan to make known, proclaim, or rather from the related Icel. kenna to know; akin to D. & G. kennen to know, Goth. kannjan to make known; orig., a causative corresponding to AS. cunnan to know, Goth. kunnan. [root]45. See Can to be able, Know.] 1. To know; to understand; to take cognizance of. [Archaic or Scot.] 2. To recognize; to descry; to discern. [Archaic or Scot.] ``We ken them from afar.'' --Addison 'T is he. I ken the manner of his gait. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ken Ken, v. i. To look around. [Obs.] --Burton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ken Ken, n. Cognizance; view; especially, reach of sight or knowledge. ``Beyond his ken.'' --Longfellow. Above the reach and ken of a mortal apprehension. --South. It was relief to quit the ken And the inquiring looks of men. --Trench.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If something is beyond your ken, you do not have enough knowledge to be able to understand it. The subject matter was so technical as to be beyond the ken of the average layman. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. View, cognizance, sight.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A house. A bob ken, or a bowman ken; a well-furnished house, also a house that harbours thieves. Biting the ken; robbing the house. Cant.

Moby Thesaurus

absorb, acquaintance, appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, be acquainted with, be apprised of, be aware of, be cognizant of, be conscious of, be conversant with, be informed, be with one, behold, catch, catch on, catch sight of, clap eyes on, clear sight, cognize, color vision, command, comprehend, comprehension, conceive, conceptualize, cone vision, corpus, data, datum, day vision, daylight vision, descry, dig, digest, discern, discernment, discover, distinguish, domination, espy, experience, expertise, eye, eye-mindedness, eyereach, eyeshot, eyesight, facts, factual base, familiarity, farsight, farsightedness, fathom, field of view, field of vision, follow, get, get hold of, get the drift, get the idea, get the picture, glimpse, grasp, have, have in sight, have information about, have it taped, have knowledge of, horizon, information, intelligence, intimacy, keen sight, know, know-how, knowing, knowledge, lay eyes on, learn, limit of vision, line of sight, look on, look upon, make out, master, naked eye, night vision, notice, observe, outlook, outlook over, perceive, perception, peripheral field, peripheral vision, perspective, perspicacity, perspicuity, photopia, pick out, possess, power of sight, practical knowledge, prehend, private knowledge, privity, prospect, purview, quick sight, range, ratio cognoscendi, reach, read, realize, recognize, rod vision, savvy, scan, scope, scope of vision, scotopia, see, seeing, seize, seize the meaning, self-knowledge, sense, sense of sight, sight, sightedness, sightliness, spot, spy, survey, sweep, take, take in, technic, technics, technique, twig, twilight vision, understand, understanding, unobstructed vision, view, vision, vista, visual acuity, visual field, visual sense, witness, wot, wot of