Ken appeared on the English horizon in the 16th century referring to the distance bounding the range of ordinary vision at sea (about 20 miles), and would thus have been familiar to skippers …

Ken definition: knowledge, understanding, or cognizance; mental perception.. See examples of KEN used in a sentence.

In this context, the phrase is infelicitous : ' beyond one's ken ', in its ordinary usage, means beyond one's powers of comprehension.

There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun ken, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Apr 21, 2025 · In contemporary slang, “ken” is often employed in phrases to convey comprehension or familiarity. It is especially popular in places like London and among various …

1. knowledge or understanding: an idea beyond one's ken. 2. range of sight or vision.

Ken in American English (ken) noun a male given name, form of Kendall or Kenneth

Such a sketch must pass lightly over debatable ground, and must consist largely of suggestions still in need of confirmation; but if it serves as a frame into which more precise and more …

In Scots law, to acknowledge or recognize by a judicial act: as, to ken a widow to her terce (that is, to recognize or decree by a judicial act the right of a widow to the life-rent of her share of …

Definition of Ken in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.