Adjective (comparative keener, superlative keenest)
- showing a quick and ardent willingness or responsiveness, enthusiastic, eager; interested, intense.
- vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite.
- sharp; having a fine edge or point.
- acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness.
- bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm.
- piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc,; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.
- (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."
- (US, informal, dated) Marvelous.
- I just got this peachy keen new dress.
- (UK) extremely low as to be competitive.
- keen prices
Verb (third-person singular simple present keens, present participle keening, simple past and past participle keened)
- (rare) To sharpen; to make cold.
Origin 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.
Verb (third-person singular simple present keens, present participle keening, simple past and past participle keened)
- (intransitive) To utter a keen.
- To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
- To mourn.
Origin From Irish caoin (“keen, weep, cry”).
