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35,981 English word records · 45,491 etymology sections in this online subset
PARTIAL ENGLISH COVERAGE · FULL CORPUS REMAINS LOCAL7 source sections across 1 headword matching “Ken”. These are separate from the reviewed results below.
kenEnglish (en) · Etymology 1Source text
From Middle English kennen (“to give birth, conceive, generate, beget; to develop (as a fetus), hatch out (of eggs); to sustain, nourish, nurture”), from Old English cennan (“to give birth, conceive, generate, beget”), from Proto-West Germanic *kannjan, from Proto-Germanic *kanjaną.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗kenEnglish (en) · Etymology 2Source text
Northern English dialects and Scots language from Middle English kennen, from Old English cennan (“make known, declare, acknowledge”) originally “to make known”, causative of cunnan (“to become acquainted with, to know”), from Proto-West Germanic *kannijan, from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną, causative of *kunnaną (“be able”), from which comes the verb can. Cognate with West Frisian kenne (“to know; recognise”), Dutch kennen (“to know”), German kennen (“to know, be acquainted with someone/something”), Norwegian Bokmål kjenne, Norwegian Nynorsk kjenna, Old Norse kenna (“to know, perceive”), Swedish känna (“to know, feel”), Danish kende (“to know”). See also: can, con.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗kenEnglish (en) · Etymology 3Source text
From a nautical abbreviation of Middle English kenning, present participle of the verb kennen (“to make known, point out, reveal; to direct, instruct, teach; to know, perceive”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗kenEnglish (en) · Etymology 4Source text
Of unknown origin. Perhaps from kennel.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗kenEnglish (en) · Etymology 5Source text
From Hebrew קֵן (qēn, “nest”).
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗kenEnglish (en) · Etymology 6Source text
Borrowed from Japanese 間.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗kenEnglish (en) · Etymology 7Source text
Borrowed from Japanese 剣.
Original Wiktionary entry and references ↗INDEPENDENT SOURCE LIBRARY
More sources for this spelling
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Chambers (1908)
1908- KenEnglish · e-38538-6600
Ken, ken, v.t. to know: (arch.) to see and recognise at a distance.—n. range of knowledge or sight.—n. Ken′ning (Bacon), range of vision: (Scot.) a small portion.—adj. Ken′speckle (Scot.), conspicuous—also Ken′speck. [Ic
Read the full source record → - KenEnglish · e-38538-6601
Ken, ken, n. (slang) a house. [Perh. Pers. khān, a caravansary; not conn. with kennel.]
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