Definitions for: Keen


[n] (Irish) a funeral lament sung with loud wailing
[adj] having a sharp cutting edge or point; "a keen blade"
[adj] as physically painful as if caused by a sharp instrument; "a cutting wind"; "keen winds"; "knifelike cold"; "piercing knifelike pains"; "piercing cold"; "piercing criticism"; "a stabbing pain"; "lancinating pain"
[adj] (informal) very good; "a bully pulpit"; "a neat sports car"; "had a great time at the party"; "you look simply smashing"
[adj] very penetrating and clear and sharp in operation; "an incisive mind"; "a keen intelligence"; "of sharp and active intellect"
[adj] intense or sharp; "suffered exquisite pain"; "felt exquisite pleasure"
[adj] having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations"
[v] express grief verbally



Webster (1913) Definition: Keen (k[=e]n), a. [Compar. Keener (-[~e]r); superl.
Keenest.] [OE. kene sharp, bold, AS. c[=e]ne bold; akin to
D. koen, OHG. kuoni, G. k["u]hn, OSw. kyn, k["o]n, Icel.
k[ae]nn, for k[oe]nn wise; perh. akin to E. ken, can to be
able. [root]45. ]
1. Sharp; having a fine edge or point; as, a keen razor, or a
razor with a keen edge.

A bow he bare and arwes [arrows] bright and kene.
--Chaucer.

That my keen knife see not the wound it makes.
--Shak.

2. Acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing
mental acuteness; as, a man of keen understanding; a keen
look; keen features.

To make our wits more keen. --Shak.

Before the keen inquiry of her thought. --Cowper.

3. Bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe;
as, keen satire or sarcasm.

Good father cardinal, cry thou amen To my keen
curses. --Shak.

4. Piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold,
wind, etc,; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.

Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes.
--Goldsmith.

5. Eager; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite. ``Of full
kene will.'' --Piers Plowman.

So keen and greedy to confound a man. --Shak.

Note: Keen is often used in the composition of words, most of
which are of obvious signification; as, keen-edged,
keen-eyed, keen-sighted, keen-witted, etc.

Syn: Prompt; eager; ardent; sharp; acute; cutting;
penetrating; biting; severe; sarcastic; satirical;
piercing; shrewd.


Keen, v. t.
To sharpen; to make cold. [R.]

Cold winter keens the brightening flood. --Thomson.


Keen, n. [Ir. caoine.]
A prolonged wail for a deceased person. Cf. Coranach.
[Ireland] --Froude.


Keen, v. i.
To wail as a keener does. [Ireland]

Synonyms: acute, bang-up, bully, corking, cracking, cutting, dandy, discriminating, exquisite, good, great, groovy, incisive, intelligent, intense, knifelike, lament, lancinate, lancinating, neat, nifty, not bad(p), peachy, penetrating, penetrative, perceptive, piercing, sharp, slap-up, smashing, stabbing, swell

See Also: coronach, dirge, express emotion, express feelings, grieve, lament, requiem, sorrow, threnody

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