Showing Results for "kenning"

See Also:

• present participle of ken.

kenning

American  

[ken-ing] / ˈkɛn ɪŋ /

noun

1. a conventional poetic phrase used for or in addition to the usual name of a person or thing, especially in Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon verse, as “a wave traveler” for “a boat.”

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kenning British  

/ ˈkɛnɪŋ /

noun

1. a conventional metaphoric name for something, esp in Old Norse and Old English poetry, such as Old English bānhūs (bone house) for "body"

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Etymology

Origin of kenning

First recorded in 1880–85; from Old Norse: literally “teaching, doctrine, poetic periphrasis”; see origin at ken, -ing ¹

Explanation

A kenning, in literature, is a word or phrase that is a metaphor for something simpler. Calling a ship a "sea-steed," for example, is a kenning. You're most likely to hear the term kenning in a literature class, especially if you happen to be studying Old Norse or Old English poetry. It's part of both literary traditions to use figurative language — often in the form of a compound word or a phrase — to represent a simple word. In Old Norse, a typical kenning is "sun of the houses" for "fire." The root is the Old Norse kenna, "know, recognize, or perceive."

Example Sentences

“I think it’s a stretch to think that this represents a pride flag,” said commission chair Kenning Arlitsch, noting the progress pride flag has 11 colors and the library logo has four.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 13, 2022

"We are deeply shocked by this tragic event," Kenning said in his statement.

From Washington Post • Jun. 13, 2016

“John has a tendency to say sort of jarring things without much ability to gauge their impact on people,” Mary Kenning, another of the psychologists who examined him, said at the hearing.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 19, 2015

Ralf Kenning lay shivering beneath a mountain of furs.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

A man's death, not the end Ralf Kenning suffered.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin