Result from Foreign Dictionaries (5 entries found)

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Keen \Keen\, v. t. To sharpen; to make cold. [R.] [1913 Webster] Cold winter keens the brightening flood. --Thomson. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Keen \Keen\ (k[=e]n), a. [Compar. {Keener} (k[=e]n"[~e]r); superl. {Keenest}.] [OE. kene sharp, bold, AS. c[=e]ne bold; akin to D. koen, OHG. kuoni, G. k["u]hn, OSw. kyn, k["o]n, Icel. k[ae]nn, for k[oe]nn wise; perh. akin to E. ken, can to be able. [root]45.] 1. Sharp; having a fine edge or point; as, a keen razor, or a razor with a keen edge. [1913 Webster] A bow he bare and arwes [arrows] bright and kene. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] That my keen knife see not the wound it makes. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness; as, a man of keen understanding; a keen look; keen features. [1913 Webster] To make our wits more keen. --Shak. [1913 Webster] Before the keen inquiry of her thought. --Cowper. [1913 Webster] 3. Bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm. [1913 Webster] Good father cardinal, cry thou amen To my keen curses. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 4. Piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc.; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen. [1913 Webster] Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster] 5. Eager; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite. "Of full kene will." --Piers Plowman. [1913 Webster] So keen and greedy to confound a man. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 6. Wonderful; delightful; marvelous; as, that would be keen. [slang] [PJC] Note: Keen is often used in the composition of words, most of which are of obvious signification; as, keen-edged, keen-eyed, keen-sighted, keen-witted, etc. Syn: Prompt; eager; ardent; sharp; acute; cutting; penetrating; biting; severe; sarcastic; satirical; piercing; shrewd. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Keen \Keen\, n. [Ir. caoine.] A prolonged wail for a deceased person. Cf. {Coranach}. [Ireland] --Froude. [1913 Webster] From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]: Keen \Keen\, v. i. To wail as a keener does. [Ireland] [1913 Webster] From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: keen adj 1: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations" [syn: {acute}, {discriminating}, {incisive}, {keen}, {knifelike}, {penetrating}, {penetrative}, {piercing}, {sharp}] 2: intense or sharp; "suffered exquisite pain"; "felt exquisite pleasure" [syn: {exquisite}, {keen}] 3: very good; "he did a bully job"; "a neat sports car"; "had a great time at the party"; "you look simply smashing" [syn: {bang-up}, {bully}, {corking}, {cracking}, {dandy}, {great}, {groovy}, {keen}, {neat}, {nifty}, {not bad(p)}, {peachy}, {slap-up}, {swell}, {smashing}] 4: painful as if caused by a sharp instrument; "a cutting wind"; "keen winds"; "knifelike cold"; "piercing knifelike pains"; "piercing cold"; "piercing criticism"; "a stabbing pain"; "lancinating pain" [syn: {cutting}, {keen}, {knifelike}, {piercing}, {stabbing}, {lancinate}, {lancinating}] 5: having a sharp cutting edge or point; "a keen blade" n 1: a funeral lament sung with loud wailing v 1: express grief verbally; "we lamented the death of the child" [syn: {lament}, {keen}]