adj., keen·er, keen·est.
- Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point.
- Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity. See synonyms at sharp.
- Acutely sensitive: a keen ear.
- Sharp; vivid; strong: "His entire body hungered for keen sensation, something exciting" (Richard Wright).
- Intense; piercing: a keen wind.
- Pungent; acrid: A keen smell of skunk was left behind.
- Ardent; enthusiastic: a keen chess player.
- Eagerly desirous: keen on going to Europe in the spring.
- Slang. Great; splendid; fine: What a keen day!
[Middle English kene, from Old English cēne, brave.]
keenly keen'ly adv.keenness keen'ness n.
keen2 (kēn)
n.
A loud, wailing lament for the dead.
intr.v., keened, keen·ing, keens.
To wail in lamentation, especially for the dead. See synonyms at cry.
[From Irish Gaelic caoineadh, from caoninim, I lament, from Old Irish caínim, coínim, perhaps of Brittonic origin.]
keener keen'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.