kenning
Americannoun
noun
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."
Vocabulary lists containing kenning
Lesson 1
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Understanding Literary Forms: Poetry and the Epic & Analyze Literature
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Parts 1 & 2 Literary Terms (Unit 1)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pluck up a good spirit, boys, 'tis within a kenning.
From Gargantua and Pantagruel, Illustrated, Book 4 by Motteux, Peter Anthony
Thorkelin knew nothing of the peculiar style of Old English poetry; he could recognize neither kenning, metaphor, nor compound.
From The Translations of Beowulf A Critical Bibliography by Tinker, Chauncey Brewster
He was the first to recognize the significance of kenning, metaphor, and compound.
From The Translations of Beowulf A Critical Bibliography by Tinker, Chauncey Brewster
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
"There's things it's best to put off kenning as lang as we can."
From The Little Minister by Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
