ken

English Online Dictionary. What means ken‎? What does ken mean?

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/
• (pin–pen merger) IPA^(key): /kɪn/
• Rhymes: -ɛn
• Homophones: Ken; kin (pin–pen merger)

Etymology 1

From Middle English kennen (“to give birth, conceive, generate, beget; to develop (as a fetus), hatch out (of eggs); to sustain, nourish, nurture”), from Old English cennan (“to give birth, conceive, generate, beget”), from Proto-West Germanic *kannjan, from Proto-Germanic *kanjaną.

Verb

ken (third-person singular simple present kens, present participle kenning, simple past and past participle kenned)

1. (obsolete) To give birth, conceive, beget, be born; to develop (as a fetus); to nourish, sustain (as life).

Etymology 2

Northern and Scottish dialects from Middle English kennen, from Old English cennan (“make known, declare, acknowledge”) originally “to make known”, causative of cunnan (“to become acquainted with, to know”), from Proto-West Germanic *kannijan, from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną, causative of *kunnaną (“be able”), from which comes the verb can.

Cognate with West Frisian kenne (“to know; recognise”), Dutch kennen (“to know”), German kennen (“to know, be acquainted with someone/something”), Norwegian Bokmål kjenne, Norwegian Nynorsk kjenna, Old Norse kenna (“to know, perceive”), Swedish känna (“to know, feel”), Danish kende (“to know”). See also: can, con.

The noun meaning “range of sight” is a nautical abbreviation of present participle kenning.

Verb

ken (third-person singular simple present kens, present participle kenning, simple past and past participle kenned or kent)

1. (transitive, chiefly Scotland) To know, perceive or understand.
2. (obsolete, chiefly Scotland) To discover by sight; to catch sight of; to descry.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

ken (uncountable)

1. Knowledge, perception, or sight.
2. (nautical) Range of sight.

Usage notes

In common usage a fossil word, found only in phrases such as beyond one’s ken and swim into one’s ken.

Coordinate terms

• (nautical range of sight): offing

Translations

References

• Frank Graham, editor (1987), “KEN”, in The New Geordie Dictionary, Rothbury, Northumberland: Butler Publishing, →ISBN.
• Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4
• “Ken”, in Palgrave’s Word List: Durham & Tyneside Dialect Group‎^[1], archived from the original on 2024-09-05, from F[rancis] M[ilnes] T[emple] Palgrave, A List of Words and Phrases in Everyday Use by the Natives of Hetton-le-Hole in the County of Durham […] (Publications of the English Dialect Society; 74), London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Henry Frowde, Oxford University Press, 1896, →OCLC.
• Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[2]
• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “ken”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.

Etymology 3

Perhaps from kennel.

Noun

ken (plural kens)

1. (slang, UK, obsolete, thieves' cant) A house, especially a den of thieves.

Derived terms

Etymology 4

From Hebrew קֵן (“nest”).

Noun

ken (plural kenim)

1. (Judaism) Youth or children's group.

Etymology 5

From Japanese 間.

Noun

ken (plural kens or ken)

1. A Japanese unit of length equal to six shakus.

Etymology 6

From Japanese 剣.

Noun

ken (plural ken)

1. The tsurugi (type of sword).

See also

• jan ken po
• ken oath

Anagrams

• nek

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈken/ [ˈkɛn]
• Hyphenation: ken

Pronoun

kén (predicative kéeni)

1. they, them

See also

Determiner

kén

1. their

See also

References

• E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “ken”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
• Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎^[7], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/

Etymology 1

From Dutch kin, from Middle Dutch kinne, from Old Dutch kinni, from Proto-Germanic *kinnuz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénus.

Noun

ken (plural kenne)

1. chin

Alternative forms

• kin

Etymology 2

From Dutch kennen.

Verb

ken (present ken, present participle kennende, past participle geken)

1. (transitive) To know (a person, a thing), be acquainted with

Derived terms

• te kenne

Basque

Noun

ken

1. genitive plural of ka

Breton

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *ken, from Proto-Celtic *kina (“on this side of”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe (“this, here”).

Adverb

ken

1. exclamative adverb

   ken (bras) ― so (big)

2. equality adverb

   (n'eo ket) ken (bras ha me) ― (he/she is not) so (big as me)

3. negative adverb

Cimbrian

Etymology 1

From Middle High German kemen, quemen, from Old High German kweman, from Proto-West Germanic *kweman, from Proto-Germanic *kwemaną. Cognate with German kommen, English come.

Verb

ken (strong)

1. (Tredici Comuni) to come

Alternative forms

• khemmen, khèmman

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Conjunction

ken

1. than

   Synonyms: dan, bèdar, kédar

Further reading

• “ken” in Martalar, Umberto Martello, Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo
• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Dupaningan Agta

Noun

ken

1. skirt

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɛn
• IPA^(key): /kɛn/

Verb

ken

1. inflection of kennen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

Anagrams

• nek, enk

Finnish

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ken, from Proto-Uralic *ke. Cognate with Ter Sami kie, Erzya ки (ki), кие (kije), Udmurt кин (kin) and Hungarian ki.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈken/, [ˈk̟e̞n]
• Rhymes: -en
• Syllabification^(key): ken

Pronoun

ken

1. (interrogative, dated) who; (when followed by a modifier in the elative case) which one (of)
2. (indefinite, dated) whoever

Usage notes

• Ken is old-fashioned or poetic in tone (or dialectal), yet its inflected forms are common and standard. See the usage notes under kuka.

Inflection

See kuka.

Synonyms

• (who): kuka
• (whoever): kuka tahansa

Derived terms

Further reading

• “ken”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[8] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Etymology

Clipping of kéni, the verlan form of niquer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/

Verb

ken

1. (vulgar, Verlan) Synonym of niquer

Usage notes

Only used as infinitive or past participle.

Hungarian

Etymology

Of unknown origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkɛn]
• Rhymes: -ɛn

Verb

ken

1. (transitive) to smear

Conjugation

Derived terms

(With verbal prefixes):

References

Further reading

• ken in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Javanese ꦏꦺꦤ꧀ (kén), from Old Javanese ken (“particle before a noun (categorical or proper) denoting a person of some rank”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/
• Hyphenation: kèn

Noun

ken

1. honorific for male and female children.

Etymology 2

From Japanese 拳 (けん, ken, “fist”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/
• Hyphenation: kèn

Noun

ken

1. fist.

Etymology 3

Unadapted borrowing from Japanese 縣(けん) (ken, “prefecture”). Romanised according modified Kunrei-shiki romanization.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/
• Hyphenation: kèn

Noun

ken

1. (historical, 1942-1945) Synonym of kabupaten (“regency”)

Further reading

• “ken” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Ingrian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ken. Cognates include Finnish ken and Estonian kes.

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈken/, [ˈke̞n]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈken/, [ˈke̞n]
• Rhymes: -en
• Hyphenation: ken

Pronoun

ken

1. (interrogative) who?
2. (indefinite) whoever
3. (relative) who, that

Declension

Derived terms

References

• V. I. Junus (1936) Iƶoran Keelen Grammatikka‎^[9], Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 100
• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 152

Japanese

Romanization

ken

1. Rōmaji transcription of けん
2. Rōmaji transcription of ケン

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From Portuguese quem.

Pronoun

ken

1. who

Karaim

Alternative forms

• kien

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *kẹ̄ŋ.

Adjective

ken

1. wide

References

• N. A. Baskakov, S.M. Šapšala, editor (1973), “ken”, in Karaimsko-Russko-Polʹskij Slovarʹ [Karaim-Russian-Polish Dictionary], Moscow: Moskva, →ISBN

Karelian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ken. Cognates include Finnish ken and Veps ken.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈken/
• Hyphenation: ken

Pronoun

ken

1. (interrogative) who?
2. (relative) whoever

Declension

Derived terms

References

• A. V. Punzhina (1994) “ken”, in Словарь карельского языка (тверские говоры) [Dictionary of the Karelian language (Tver dialects)], →ISBN
• P. Zaykov, L. Rugoyeva (1999) “ken”, in Карельско-Русский словарь (Северно-Карельские диалекты) [Karelian-Russian dictionary (North Karelian dialects)], Petrozavodsk, →ISBN

Ladino

Etymology

From Latin quĕm, accusative of qui.

Pronoun

ken (Latin spelling, Hebrew spelling קיין)

1. who, whom

2. whoever, whomever

Livvi

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ken, from Proto-Uralic *ke. Cognates include Karelian ken and Ingrian ken.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈken/
• Hyphenation: ken

Pronoun

ken

1. who?

   Ken hyö ollah? ― Who are they?

References

• N. Gilojeva, S. Rudakova (2009) Karjalan kielen Livvin murdehen algukursu [Beginners' course of Karelian language's Livvi dialect]‎^[10] (in Livvi), Petrozavodsk, →ISBN, page 10
• Tatjana Boiko (2019) Suuri Karjal-Venʹalaine Sanakniigu (livvin murreh) [The Big Karelian-Russian dictionary (Livvi dialect)], 2nd edition, →ISBN, page 100

Maguindanao

Etymology

From kan. Compare Maranao kan.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Maguindanaon) IPA^(key): /kən/ [kɪɳ]
• Rhymes: -ən
• Syllabification: ken

Noun

kën

1. food

Mandarin

Romanization

ken

1. Nonstandard spelling of kēn.
2. Nonstandard spelling of kěn.
3. Nonstandard spelling of kèn.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Maranao

Etymology

From kan, compare Maranao kan.

Noun

ken

1. food

Middle English

Etymology 1

From kennen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/

Noun

ken (uncountable)

1. (Late Middle English, hapax) recognition

Descendants

• English: ken
• Yola: ken, kin

References

• “ken, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Noun

ken

1. Alternative form of kyn

Mohawk

Particle

ken

1. Question particle used in yes-or-no questions.

References

• Nora Deering, Helga H. Delisle (1976) Mohawk: A teaching grammar (preliminary version), Quebec: Manitou College, page 10

North Frisian

Alternative forms

• kön (Föhr-Amrum)
• koone (Mooring)

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *kunnaną.

Verb

ken

1. (Sylt) can, be able

Conjugation

Northern Kurdish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/
• Rhymes: -ɛn

Noun

ken m

1. laugh
2. smile

Old Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *kuni, from Proto-Germanic *kunją, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to give birth”). Cognates include Old English cynn, Old Saxon kunni and Old Dutch cunni.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈken/

Noun

ken n

1. kindred, kin

Descendants

• North Frisian: kinne, kenne

References

• Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN

Old Javanese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/
• Rhymes: -kɛn
• Hyphenation: ken

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kain (“woman's skirt”).

Noun

ken

1. garment worn around the lower part of the body

Alternative forms

• kain

Derived terms

Descendants

• > Javanese: ꦏꦺꦤ꧀ (kèn) (inherited)

Etymology 2

Particle

ken

1. particle before a noun (categorical or proper) denoting a person of some rank

Derived terms

Descendants

• > Javanese: ꦏꦺꦤ꧀ (kèn) (inherited)

Further reading

• "ken" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

Papiamentu

Alternative forms

• kende (synonym)

Etymology

From Portuguese quem and Spanish quien and Kabuverdianu ken.

Pronoun

ken

1. who

Pennsylvania German

Alternative forms

• kee

Etymology

From Middle High German nechein, from Old High German nihein. Compare German kein, Dutch geen.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/

Determiner

ken

1. no; not a(n); not one; not any

Declension

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English kennen, from Old English cennan (“make known, declare, acknowledge”), originally "make to know", causative of cunnan (“to become acquainted with, to know”); from Proto-West Germanic *kannijan, from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną.

Noun

ken (uncountable)

1. knowledge or perception

Verb

ken (third-person singular simple present kens, present participle kennin, simple past kent, past participle kent)

1. (transitive) To know, perceive or understand.

   Do ye ken John Peel with his coat so gay? - 19th century Cumbrian ballad

Southern Sierra Miwok

Noun

ken

1. no

Tok Pisin

Etymology

Inherited from English can, from Middle English can, from Old English cann, from Proto-West Germanic *kann.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈken/

Verb

ken

1. (auxiliary) to be able to
2. (auxiliary) to may, to be allowed
3. (auxiliary) Expresses a wish.; may...

Further reading

• John W. M. Verhaar (1995) chapter 10, in Toward a reference grammar of Tok Pisin: An experiment in corpus linguistics, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i press, →ISBN, page 144

Veps

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *ken.

Pronoun

ken (genitive kenen, partitive keda)

1. who (interrogative)

Inflection

Derived terms

• ken-ni
• ken-se
• koje-ken
• niken

References

• Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “кто”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[11], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kɛn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kɛŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [kɛŋ˧˧]

Adjective

ken

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {}.

Verb

ken

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {}.

Yola

Alternative forms

• kin

Etymology

From Middle English ken.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛn/, /kɪn/

Noun

ken

1. ken
2. regard, liking

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 49

Zou

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ken˧/

Noun

ken

1. wheel

References

• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 41