Keen meaning
Sharp or cutting in force; piercing.
A keen appetite, a keen wind.
adjective
To wail in lamentation, especially for the dead.
verb
Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point.
adjective
Intense or bracing.
A keen wind.
adjective
Eager; enthusiastic; much interested.
adjective
Advertisement
Strongly felt or perceived; intense; strong.
Keen desire, a keen scent.
adjective
A loud wailing or lament for the dead.
noun
Sharp-witted; mentally acute; shrewd.
adjective
(irish) A wailing for the dead; dirge.
noun
To utter in a wailing tone.
verb
Advertisement
Pungent; acrid.
A keen smell of skunk was left behind.
adjective
Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity.
adjective
Acutely sensitive.
A keen ear.
adjective
Sharp; vivid; strong.
adjective
(slang) Great; splendid; fine.
What a keen day!
adjective
Advertisement
Having a sharp edge or point; that can cut well.
A keen knife, a keen edge.
adjective
Sharp and quick in seeing, hearing, thinking, etc.; acute.
Keen eyes, a keen intelligence.
adjective
(slang) Good, fine, etc.
adjective
(irish) To lament or wail for the dead.
verb
To make a wailing, shrill, or mournful sound suggestive of a keen.
verb
Advertisement
The definition of keen is something sharp or intense.
An example of keen is a sharp knife.
An example of keen is a witty sense of humor.
adjective
adjective
Advertisement
Piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc,; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.
adjective
(often with "to" + infinitive or with a prepositional phrase) Enthusiastic.
I'm keen to learn another language.
I'm keen on learning another language.
I'm keen on languages.
I'm keen about learning languages.
I'm keen for help.
"Do you want to learn another language?" / "I'm keen."
adjective
Advertisement
(rare) To sharpen; to make cold.
verb
(intransitive) To utter a keen.
verb
To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
verb
To mourn.
verb
Advertisement
Other Word Forms
Adjective
Base Form:
keen
Comparative
keenest
Superlative
keenestOrigin of keen
- From Irish Gaelic caoineadh from caonim I lament from Old Irish caínim, coínim perhaps of Brittonic origin
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Middle English kene from Old English cēne brave
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English kene (“bold, brave, sharp”), from Old English cēne (“keen, fierce, bold, brave, warlike, powerful, learned, clever, wise”), from Proto-Germanic *kōniz (“knowledgeable, skillful, experienced, clever, capable”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenə-, *ǵnō- (“to know”). Cognate with Scots keen (“lively, brisk, avaricious”), Dutch koen (“daring, valiant, doughty, courageous”), German kühn (“bold, daring, audacious, hardy, valiant, venturesome”), Danish køn (“handsome, pretty”), Icelandic kænn (“wise, crafty, clever, able”). Related to Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”). More at cunning, can.
From Wiktionary
- From Irish caoin (“keen, weep, cry”).
From Wiktionary