keen
1 (kēn)
[Middle English kene, from Old English cēne, brave.]
adjective: keen·er, keen·est.
- Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point.
- Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity. See synonyms at sharp
- Acutely sensitive: a keen ear.
- Sharp; vivid; strong: “His entire body hungered for keen sensation, something exciting” (Richard Wright)
- Intense; piercing: a keen wind.
- Pungent; acrid: A keen smell of skunk was left behind.
- Ardent; enthusiastic: a keen chess player.
- Eagerly desirous: keen on going to Europe in the spring.
- Slang Great; splendid; fine: What a keen day!
derivatives
- keeńly
- adverb
- keeńness
- noun
keen
2 (kēn)
[From Irish Gaelic caoineadh, from caoninim, I lament, from Old Irish caínim, coínim, perhaps of Brittonic origin.]
noun
- A loud, wailing lament for the dead.
intransitive verb: keened, keen·ing, keens.
- To wail in lamentation, especially for the dead. See synonyms at cry
derivatives
- keeńer
- noun
