keen

Meaning

Adj

1. (Commonwealth) Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and an infinitive: showing a quick and ardent responsiveness or willingness; eager, enthusiastic, interested.
2. Fierce, intense, vehement.
3. Having a fine edge or point; sharp.
4. Acute of mind, having or expressing mental acuteness; penetrating, sharp.
5. Acrimonious, bitter, piercing.
6. Of cold, wind, etc.: cutting, penetrating, piercing, sharp.
7. (British) Of prices, extremely low as to be competitive.
8. (US, dated, informal) Marvelous.
9. (obsolete) Brave, courageous; audacious, bold.

Verb

To make cold, to sharpen.

Noun

A prolonged wail for a deceased person.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To utter a keen.
2. (transitive) To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
3. (transitive) To mourn.

Synonyms

sharp

acute

acrid

poignant

acrimonious

waspish

lurid

eager

clever

shrewd

piercing

enthusiastic

trenchant

smart

pointed

astute

cutting

ardent

biting

penetrating

incisive

shrill

pungent

bitter

perspicacious

passionate

zealous

adroit

avid

bright

vigorous

lively

alert

fine

lament

knifelike

subtle

intelligent

brisk

active

sagacious

industrious

acerbic

fervent

severe

bewail

perky

fly

✈️

bang-up

nifty

Translations

scharf

acuto

agudo

heftig

tagliente

acuta

affilato

acer

herb

aguzzo

hart

doordringend

streng

agut

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kiːn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: kene

Inherited from Old English: cēne

Cognate with Danish: køn

Cognate with Dutch: kien

Cognate with German: kühn

Cognate with Icelandic: kænn

Cognate with Faroese: kønur

Cognate with Scots: keen

Cognate with Old English: cunnan

In summary

From Middle English kene (“bold, brave, sharp”), from Old English cēne (“keen, fierce, bold, brave, warlike, powerful; learned, clever, wise”), from Proto-Germanic *kōniz (“knowledgeable, skilful, experienced, clever, capable”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).
Cognate with Danish køn (“handsome, pretty”), Dutch kien (“smart, wise, able”), koen (“daring, valiant, doughty, courageous”), German kühn (“bold, daring, audacious, hardy, valiant, venturesome”), Icelandic kænn (“wise, crafty, clever, able”), Faroese kønur (“expert (in, on), experienced, skilful, able, capable”), Scots keen (“lively, brisk; avaricious”). Related to Old English cunnan (“to know how to, be able to”). More at cunning, can.

Sentences

He was a voracious reader and a keen writer .

This tension together with some minor injuries made Souness less keen to keep him .