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”; 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

Draupnir's beautiful blood, a kenning for 'gold rings.'

From Stories and Ballads of the Far Past Translated from the Norse (Icelandic and Faroese) with Introductions and Notes by Kershaw, Nora

In kenning of the shore,     Thanks to God first given,       O you, the happiest men,       Be frolic then;   Let cannons roar,     Frighting the wide heaven.

From Anne Bradstreet and Her Time by Campbell, Helen

I asked, maybe a kenning sharper than ordinary.

From Bog-Myrtle and Peat Tales Chiefly of Galloway Gathered from the Years 1889 to 1895 by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)

Ay—ay, thou is a cunning lad for kenning the hours of bargaining.

From International Short Stories English by Various

How could he speak out all that he wanted to say, kenning my father!

From The Twa Miss Dawsons by Robertson, Margaret M. (Margaret Murray)