Dictionary
Definitions from Oxford LanguagesLearn more
ken·ning
/ˈkeniNG/
noun
noun: kenning; plural noun: kennings
- a compound expression in Old English and Old Norse poetry with metaphorical meaning, e.g. oar-steed = ship.
ken
/ken/
verb
Scottish•Northern English
gerund or present participle: kenning
- know."d'ye ken anyone who can boast of that?"
- recognize; identify."that's him—d'ye ken him?"
Use over time for: kenning
Feedback
Show less
The meaning of KENNING is a perceptible but small amount.
People also ask
kenning, concise compound or figurative phrase replacing a common noun,
especially in Old Germanic, Old Norse, and Old English poetry. A
kenning is commonly a simple stock compound such as “whale-path” or
“swan road” for “sea,” “God's beacon” for “sun,” or “ring-giver” for
“king.”
Feedback
A kenning is a figure of speech, a figuratively-phrased compound term that is used in place of a simple single-word noun. For instance, the Old English ...
