ken

See also Ken, kén, kěn, and kèn

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛn

Etymology 1

Northern and Scottish dialects from Old English cennan (“make known, declare, acknowledge”) originally “make to know”, causative of cunnan (“to become acquainted with, to know”), from Old Norse kenna (“know, perceive”), from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną, causative of *kunnaną (“be able”). Cognate to German kennen (“to know, be acquainted with someone/something”).

The noun meaning “range of sight” is a nautical abbreviation of present participle kenning.

Noun

ken (uncountable)

1. Knowledge or perception.
2. (nautical) Range of sight.

Usage notes

In common usage a fossil word, found only in the phrase beyond one’s ken.

Coordinate terms

• (nautical range of sight): offing

Quotations

• For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.

Translations

knowledge or perception

• Russian: кругозор (ru) (krugozor) m

range of sight

• Finnish: näkyvyys (fi)

Verb

ken (third-person singular simple present kens, present participle kenning, simple past and past participle kenned or kent)

1. (transitive) To know, perceive or understand.
2. (obsolete) To discover by sight; to catch sight of; to descry.
   • 1662 Thomas Salusbury, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (Dialogue 2):

     I proposed to the Mariners, that it would be of great benefit in Navigation to make use of [the telescope] upon the round-top of a ship, to discover and kenne Vessels afar off.

Quotations

• For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.

Derived terms

• beken
• foreken
• kenned
• kenning
• misken
• underken
• unkenned

Translations

to know, perceive or understand

• Russian: знать (ru) (znatʹ)

References

• The New Geordie Dictionary, Frank Graham, 1987, ISBN 0946928118
• Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4[1]
• A List of words and phrases in everyday use by the natives of Hetton-le-Hole in the County of Durham, F.M.T.Palgrave, English Dialect Society vol.74, 1896, [2]
• Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[3]
• Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, 1989

Etymology 2

Perhaps from kennel.

Noun

ken (plural kens)

1. (slang, UK, obsolete) A house, especially a den of thieves.

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛn
• IPA: /kɛn/

Verb

ken

1. first-person singular present indicative of kennen
2. imperative of kennen

Anagrams

• nek, enk

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Finnish

(index ke)

Etymology

From the same Proto-Uralic *ki as Hungarian ki and Ter Sami kie.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ken
• Rhymes: -en
• IPA: [ken]

Pronoun

ken

1. (interrogative, archaic) who; (when followed by a modifier in elative case, -sta/-stä) which one (of + a noun referring to people).
2. (indefinite, archaic) whoever.

Inflection

• See kuka.

Usage notes

• Ken is archaic in tone (or dialectal).

Synonyms

• (who): kuka
• (whoever): kuka tahansa

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Hungarian

Etymology

Unknown origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkɛn/

Verb

ken

1. to smear

Conjugation

conjugation of ken

Infinitive			kenni
Past participle			kent
Present participle			kenő
Future participle			kenendő
Adverbial participle			kenve
Potential			kenhet
			1st person sg	2nd person sg informal	3rd person sg, 2nd person sg formal	1st person pl	2nd person pl informal	3rd person pl, 2nd person pl formal
Indicative Mood	Present	Indefinite	kenek	kensz	ken	kenünk	kentek	kennek
		Definite	kenem én téged/titeket kenlek	kened	keni	kenjük	kenitek	kenik
	Past	Indefinite	kentem	kentél	kent	kentünk	kentetek	kentek
		Definite	kentem én téged/titeket kentelek	kented	kente	kentük	kentétek	kenték
Conditional Mood	Present	Indefinite	kennék	kennél	kenne	kennénk	kennétek	kennének
		Definite	kenném én téged/titeket kennélek	kennéd	kenné	kennénk	kennétek	kennék
Subjunctive Mood	Present	Indefinite	kenjek	kenj or kenjél	kenjen	kenjünk	kenjetek	kenjenek
		Definite	kenjem én téged/titeket kenjelek	kend or kenjed	kenje	kenjük	kenjétek	kenjék
Conjugated Infinitive			kennem	kenned	kennie	kennünk	kennetek	kenniük

Derived terms

With verb prefixes

beken v elken v felken v

fölken v kiken v leken v

megken v odaken v összeken v

ráken v szétken v

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Japanese

Romanization

ken

1. See けん
2. See ケン

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Kurdish

Noun

ken gender unspecified

1. laugh
2. smile

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Ladino

Etymology

From Latin quĕm, accusative of qui.

Pronoun

ken (Latin spelling, Hebrew spelling קיין)

1. who, whom
2. whoever, whomever

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Mandarin

Romanization

ken

1. Nonstandard spelling of kén.
2. Nonstandard spelling of kěn.
3. Nonstandard spelling of kèn.

Usage notes

English transcriptions of Chinese speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Chinese language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

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Scots

Etymology

From Old English cennan (“make known, declare, acknowledge”), originally "make to know", causative of cunnan (“to become acquainted with, to know”).

Noun

ken (uncountable)

1. knowledge or perception

Verb

tae ken (third-person singular simple present kens, present participle kennin, simple past kent, past participle kent)

1. (transitive) To know, perceive or understand.

   Do ye ken John Peel with his coat so gay? - 18th century ballad

   • Dae ye ken Ken kens Ken?

     Do you know Ken knows Ken?"

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Tok Pisin

Etymology

English can

Verb

ken

1. can
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 1:29 (translation here):

     Na God i tok olsem, “Mi givim yupela ol kain kain diwai na gras i karim pikinini bilong kaikai. Na yupela i ken kisim kaikai long ol dispela samting.

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