keenly

Variant of keen

keen definition

keen (kēn)

adjective

  1. having a sharp edge or point; that can cut well a keen knife, a keen edge
  2. sharp or cutting in force; piercing a keen appetite, a keen wind
  3. sharp and quick in seeing, hearing, thinking, etc.; acute keen eyes, a keen intelligence
  4. sharp-witted; mentally acute; shrewd
  5. eager; enthusiastic; much interested: often with about, on, etc.
  6. strongly felt or perceived; intense; strong keen desire, a keen scent
  7. Slang good, fine, etc.: a generalized term of approval

Etymology: ME kene < OE cene, wise, learned, akin to Ger kühn, bold < IE base *ĝen-, to know: the principal senses spring from the basic notion “capable”

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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