keen

Meanings

Adjective

• Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.
• Fierce, intense, vehement.
• Having a fine edge or point; sharp.
• Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.
• Acrimonious, bitter, piercing.
• Of cold, wind, etc.: cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.
• Of prices, extremely low as to be competitive.
• Marvelous.
• Brave, courageous; audacious, bold.

Verb

• To make cold, to sharpen.
• To utter a keen.
• To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
• To mourn.

Noun

• A prolonged wail for a deceased person.

Related

Similar words

• ardent, eager, prompt
• sharp
• biting, cutting, piercing

Origin

• From Middle English kene ("bold#Adjective"), from Old English cēne ("keen, [[fierce, bold, brave, warlike, powerful; learned#Adjective"), from Proto-Germanic *kōniz ("[[knowledgeable, skilful, experienced, clever, capable"), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ("to know"). Cognate with Danish køn ("handsome, pretty"), Dutch kien ("smart#Adjective"), koen, German kühn ("bold, daring, [[audacious, hardy, valiant, venturesome"), Icelandic kænn ("wise, crafty, clever, able"), Scots keen ("lively, brisk; avaricious"). Related to Old English cunnan ("to know how to, be able to"). More at cunning, can.
• From Irish caoin ("to [[cry#Verb").