KEN

sight, ken

(noun) the range of vision; “out of sight of land”

cognizance, ken

(noun) range of what one can know or understand; “beyond my ken”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Proper noun

Ken

A diminutive of the male given name Kenneth.

(colloquial) Kensington in London (in combinations, e.g. South Ken, High Street Ken).

Anagrams

• nek

Etymology 1

Verb

ken (third-person singular simple present kens, present participle kenning, simple past and past participle kenned)

(obsolete) To give birth, conceive, beget, be born; to develop (as a fetus); to nourish, sustain (as life).

Etymology 2

Verb

ken (third-person singular simple present kens, present participle kenning, simple past and past participle kent or kenned)

(transitive, mostly, Scotland) To know, perceive or understand.

(obsolete, mostly, Scotland) To discover by sight; to catch sight of; to descry.

Noun

ken (uncountable)

Knowledge, perception, or sight.

(nautical) Range of sight.

Usage notes

In common usage a fossil word, found only in the phrase beyond one’s ken.

Coordinate terms

• (nautical range of sight): offing

Etymology 3

Noun

ken (plural kens)

(slang, UK, obsolete, thieves' cant) A house, especially a den of thieves.

Etymology 4

Noun

ken (plural kens)

A Japanese unit of length equal to six shakus

Anagrams

• nek

Source: Wiktionary

Ken, n. Etym: [Perh. from kennel.]

Definition: A house; esp., one which is a resort for thieves. [Slang, Eng.]

Ken, n. t. [imp. & p. p. Kenned; p. pr. & vb. n. Kenning.] Etym: [OE.kennen to teach, make known, know, AS. cennan to make known, proclaim, or rather from the related Icel. kenna to know; akin to D. & G. kennen to know, Goth. kannjan to make known; orig., a causative corresponding to AS. cunnan to know, Goth. kunnan. sq. root45. See Can to be able, Know.]

1. To know; to understand; to take cognizance of. [Archaic or Scot.]

2. To recognize; to descry; to discern. [Archaic or Scot.] "We ken them from afar." Addison 'T is he. I ken the manner of his gait. Shak.

Ken, v. i.

Definition: To look around. [Obs.] Burton.

Ken, n.

Definition: Cognizance; view; especially, reach of sight or knowledge. "Beyond his ken." Longfellow. Above the reach and ken of a mortal apprehension. South. It was relief to quit the ken And the inquiring looks of men. Trench.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition