Wiktionary

kenning

See also: Kenning

English edit

WOTD – 26 April 2018

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English kenning, kening (“instruction, teaching; experience, knowledge; sight, view”),[1] from kennen (“to make known, point out, reveal; to direct, instruct, teach; to know, perceive”) + -ing. Kennen is derived from Old English cennan (“to make known, declare”),[2] from Proto-West Germanic *kannijan, from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną (“to make known”), the causative form of *kunnaną (“to know, be familiar with, recognize; to be able to, know how”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).

Compare Danish kending (“acquaintance”), and see further at ken.

Noun edit

kenning (plural kennings)

  1. (obsolete) Sight, view; specifically a distant view at sea.
    • 1624, Richard Grenville, “Sir Richard Grenuills Voyage to Virginia, for Sir Walter Raleigh. 1585.”, in John Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles: […], London: […] I[ohn] D[awson] and I[ohn] H[aviland] for Michael Sparkes, →OCLC, book 1; reprinted in The Generall Historie of Virginia, [...] (Bibliotheca Americana), Cleveland, Oh.: The World Publishing Company, 1966, →OCLC, page 5:
      Touching the moſt remarkeable things of the Country and our proceeding from the 17 of Auguſt 1585. till the 18. of Iune 1586. we made Roanoack our habitation. The vtmoſt of our diſcouery Southward was Secotan as we eſteemed 80. leagues from Roanoacke. The paſſage from thence was thought a broad ſound within the maine, being without kenning of land, yet full of flats and ſhoulds that our Pinnaſſe could not paſſe, […]
    • 1733, Francis Bacon, “XXIX. To the King; Presenting the History of Henry VII. and a Proposal for a New Digest of the Laws of England.”, in Peter Shaw, compiler, The Philosophical Works of Francis Bacon, Baron of Verulam, Viscount St. Albans, and Lord High-Chancellor of England; Methodized, and Made English, from the Originals. With Occasional Notes, to Explain what is Obscure; and Shew how Far the Several Plans of the Author, for the Advancement of All the Parts of Knowledge, have been Executed to the Present Time. In Three Volumes, volume I, London: Printed for J. J. and P. Knapton [et al.], →OCLC, supplement V (Select Letters upon Various Occasions: Relating to the Author’s Life and Writings), section II (Letters Relating to the Author’s Writings), page 504:
      And becauſe in the beginning of my Trouble, when in the midſt of the Tempeſt, I had a kenning of the Harbour, which I hope now by your Majeſty's Favour I am entring into; I made a tender to your Majeſty of two Works, a Hiſtory of England, and a Digeſt of your Laws: as I have performed a Part of the one; ſo I have herewith ſent your Majeſty, by way of an Epiſtle, a New Offer of the other.
    • 1827, [Walter Scott], chapter XIV, in Chronicles of the Canongate; […], volume I (The Two Drovers), Edinburgh: […] [Ballantyne and Co.] for Cadell and Co.; London: Simpkin and Marshall, →OCLC, pages 321–322:
      "Saul of my pody, put you are wrang there, my friend," answered Robin, with composure; "it is your fat Englishmen that eat up our Scots cattle, puir things." / "I wish there was a summat to eat up their drovers," said another; "a plain Englishman canna make bread without a kenning of them."
  2. (obsolete) The range or extent of vision, especially at sea; (by extension) a marine measure of approximately twenty miles.
  3. As little as one can discriminate or recognize; a small portion, a little.
    put in a kenning of salt
Synonyms edit
  • (sight, view; range of vision): ken (noun)
Translations edit

Verb edit

kenning

  1. present participle and gerund of ken.

Etymology 2 edit

 
A diagram of a chicken egg. The two kennings, or chalazas, are numbered 4 and 13.

From ken (“to beget, bring forth”), from Middle English kennen (“to beget, conceive (offspring); to give birth to”), from Old English cennan, gecennan (“to beget (offspring); to give birth to; to bring forth, produce”);[3] see further at etymology 1.

Noun edit

kenning (plural kennings)

  1. (zoology, obsolete, rare) A chalaza or tread of an egg (a spiral band attaching the yolk of the egg to the eggshell); a cicatricula.
    • 1585, “Oui vmbilicus”, in Iohn Higins, transl., The Nomenclator, or Remembrancer of Adrianus Iunius, London: Ralph Newberie and Henrie Denham, page 54:
      The ſtreine or kenning of the egge.

Etymology 3 edit

A learned borrowing from Old Norse kenning, from kenna (“to know; to perceive”), from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną (“to make known”); see further at etymology 1. Compare can, keen, ken.

Noun edit

Examples
  • whale road for ‘sea’
  • enemy of the mast for ‘wind’
  • ice of shields for ‘sword’

kenning (plural kennings)

  2. (poetry) A metaphorical compound or phrase, used especially in Germanic poetry (Old English or Old Norse) whereby a simple thing is described in an allusive way.
    • 1867–1868, George Stephens, “Bracteates”, in The Old-Northern Runic Monuments of Scandinavia and England, Now First Collected and Deciphered, volume II, London: John Russell Smith; Copenhagen: Michaelsen and Tillge; printed by H. H. Thiele, →OCLC, pages 509–510:
      [A]s we are all aware, the Skalds used all sorts of kennings from Jewels, Gold, Silver, &c., to betoken Women, &c. Gold is called "The Sea's Blink (Blik)", and so on, and a female is "Gold's Mistress", "The Goddess of the Golden Jewel", and so forth.
    • 1887 January, Francis B. Gummere, “Wilhelm Bode: Die Kenningar in der angelsächsen Dichtung. Mit Ausblicken auf andere Litteraturen. Darmstadt und Leipzig, 1886. [Strasburg Dissertation].”, in A. Marshall Elliott, editor, Modern Language Notes, volume II, number 1, Baltimore, Md.: [Johns Hopkins Press], →ISSN, →OCLC, column 36:
      I venture to say that a close study of the style of Piers Plowman would thoroughly dispose of alliteration as chief factor in the kenning-process.
    • 2006, Viking and Medieval Scandinavia, Turnhout, Antwerp, Belgium: Brepols, →OCLC, page 149:
      If we now move to the second helmingr, Kock tries to unscramble the two kenningar […], but this is over-zealous, since there are ample parallels for such braiding of kenning elements. Finnbogi interprets the kenning 'ǫrbeiðanda bǫðvar jǫkla' contextually, to mean 'the one who provoked the warrior into drawing his sword' (Orkneyinga saga, 202).
    • 2007, Andrew Wawn with Graham Johnson and John Walter, editors, Constructing Nations, Reconstructing Myth: Essays in Honour of T. A. Shippey (Making in the Middle Ages; 9), Turnhout, Antwerp, Belgium: Brepols, →ISBN, page 172:
      The original also makes frequent use of the circumlocutory type of poetic expression known as the kenning, which consists (in its simplest form) of a base-word (always a noun, sometimes the second of the two elements in a compound word) accompanied by a determinant (either a noun in the genitive or, in the case of a compound-word kenning, the first of the compound's two elements).
Translations edit
See also edit

Etymology 4 edit

Origin unknown.

Noun edit

kenning (plural kennings)

  1. (Northern England) A dry measure equivalent to half a bushel; a container with that capacity.
    • 1585–1586 January 18, “LXIII. Testamentum Johannis Ogle. [63. Will of John Ogle.]”, in [William Greenwell], editor, Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham. Part II (The Publications of the Surtees Society; XXXVIII), Durham: Published for the Society by George Andrews, Durham; London: Whittaker and Co., 13 Ave Maria Lane; T. and W. Boone, 29 New Bond Street; Edinburgh: Blackwood and Sons, published 1860, →OCLC, page 132:
      In the hall. One large table, with frame. 10s. ij cobbordes 8s. j fourme, j chaire, and j kenninge measure, 12d.
    • 1828, chapter XXX, in E. Mackenzie, editor, compiled by James Thompson, A New, Improved, and Authentic Life of James Allan, the Celebrated Northumberland Piper; Detailing His Surprising Adventures in Various Parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, including a Complete Description of the Manners and Customs of the Gipsy Tribes. Collected from Sources of Genuine Authority, by James Thompson, with Explanatory Notes by E. Mackenzie, [...], Newcastle upon Tyne: Printed and published by Mackenzie and Dent, St. Nicholas' Church-yard [...], →OCLC, page 460:
      He called one day at Mr. Hepple's, of Needless Hall, in a forlorn condition, seeking his seed (a present of corn given at seed-time). […] After this conversation, Mr. Hepple served him with a kenning of oats, which was a much greater quantity than he usually gave on such occasions.
Translations edit

References edit

  1. ^ “kenning(e, ger.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 18 January 2018.
  2. ^ “kennen, v.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 18 January 2018.
  3. ^ “kennen, v.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 18 January 2018.

Further reading edit

Danish edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Old Norse kenning, from the verb kenna (“to know”).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

kenning

  1. (poetry) kenning

Declension edit

Declension of kenning
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative kenning kenningen kenninger kenningerne
genitive kennings kenningens kenningers kenningernes

Icelandic edit

 
Icelandic Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia is

Etymology edit

From kenna +‎ -ing.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

kenning f (genitive singular kenningar, nominative plural kenningar)

  1. theory
  2. religious doctrine, teaching
  3. lesson
  4. (poetry) kenning (circumlocution used instead of an ordinary noun in Old Norse, Old English and later Icelandic poetry)

Declension edit

declension of kenning
f-s1 singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative kenning kenningin kenningar kenningarnar
accusative kenningu kenninguna kenningar kenningarnar
dative kenningu kenningunni kenningum kenningunum
genitive kenningar kenningarinnar kenninga kenninganna

Derived terms edit

Polish edit

 
Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology edit

Borrowed from English kenning.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

kenning m inan

  1. (poetry) kenning (metaphorical compound or phrase, used especially in Germanic poetry (Old English or Old Norse) whereby a simple thing is described in an allusive way)

Declension edit

Declension of kenning
singular plural
nominative kenning kenningi
genitive kenningu kenningów
dative kenningowi kenningom
accusative kenning kenningi
instrumental kenningiem kenningami
locative kenningu kenningach
vocative kenningu kenningi

Further reading edit

  • kenning in Polish dictionaries at PWN
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