ken
English meaning: Ken
Definition
To give birth, conceive, beget, be born; to develop (as a fetus); to nourish, sustain (as life).
Example
“D'ye ken the road that leads up to the old farm?”
Another example: “The workings of the stock market lie far beyond my ken.”
Usage — When, Where & How
Chiefly Scottish and Northern English, or literary/archaic; a verb meaning to know or recognise, and a noun ('ken') meaning range of knowledge or sight ('beyond my ken'). Rare in standard modern English except in the fixed phrase 'beyond one's ken'. Also a common given name.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Old English 'cennan' (to make known), related to Old Norse 'kenna' (to know); survives mainly in Scots and Northern dialects.
Synonyms
- know
- recognise
- perceive
- comprehend
Related Words
- loach
- dryden
- shamrock
- deirdre
- tucker
- burns
- bates
- norton
- russell
- footballer
Common Collocations
- beyond my ken
- ye ken
- do you ken
- within his ken
- ken the truth
- outside our ken
Word Forms
ken (v & n); kenned or kent; kenning
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B