as in halfpenny
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as in fathoming
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Recent Examples of kenning
Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
The kenning’s true meaning lies beyond the edges of my comprehension.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
My favorite parts of the book are those where there's a new kenning.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Most of the writers attempting to imitate Tolkien weren’t steeped in the rhythm of Old English kennings, or the spiritual yearning of chivalric romance.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
Weinersmith has successfully captured the spirit of this timeless story, weaving in generous amounts of alliteration and his version of Old English kennings, a compound figure of speech that replaces a common noun with two or more words that make for a more figurative than literal description.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Noun
This is a kenning that evokes a natural transition to darkness and also an unfinished human endeavor.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
The kenning’s true meaning lies beyond the edges of my comprehension.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
My favorite parts of the book are those where there's a new kenning.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Most of the writers attempting to imitate Tolkien weren’t steeped in the rhythm of Old English kennings, or the spiritual yearning of chivalric romance.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
Weinersmith has successfully captured the spirit of this timeless story, weaving in generous amounts of alliteration and his version of Old English kennings, a compound figure of speech that replaces a common noun with two or more words that make for a more figurative than literal description.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kenning
Noun
-
Indeed, in 2023, his music earned him just shy of $200,000, about one halfpenny at a time.—
Brett Martin,
New York Times,
31 Mar. 2024
-
In nineteenth-century England, tailors would place old halfpennies in the pockets of a man’s new suit for good luck.—
Hua Hsu,
The New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2023
Noun
-
Some people are forthright when Boulet asks, with a cameraman in tow, a question that is often not spoken, or at most in a locker-room whisper.—
The New York Times,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
-
In truth, whispers have been circulating for months that a The Row homewares line might be in the works.—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
These active hunters, rather than passively perceiving their environment, require sharper vision to locate and capture prey.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2025
-
However, perceiving the existence of Assyrians in Iraq as stable is a grave misunderstanding.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Reactivate to speed back to your beacon as a mote of pure light.—
Mike Stubbs,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
-
At Pasteur’s command, the lights went out, save for a cone of light that revealed floating motes of dust.—
Carl Zimmer,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In many cases, physicists can calculate the spectral gap for a specific atom or material.—
Charlie Wood,
Wired News,
6 Apr. 2025
-
In a quantum computer, shielding ensures that these atoms aren’t affected by background signals.—
Paul Lipman,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The show also begged us to care one whit about Nick’s secret romance with… Jessica’s sister!!!—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
24 Mar. 2025
-
The lack of logic Trump’s fun-house version of justice may not matter a whit to voters, or alter even slightly their perceptions of the two major parties.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
The Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
What To Know In a clip shared to X, formerly Twitter, McIlroy embraces his wife following his victory.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Right-hander Colin Rea delivered a solid outing, limiting the Dodgers to one run in 3 2/3 innings in his first start in Justin Steele’s rotation spot following the news Sunday that the lefty will be undergoing season-ending surgery on his elbow.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The result: a light show producing beautiful blue and purple dashes against a backdrop of green and pink auroras.—
Michael D'Estries,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2025
-
There's a wind-deflecting screen, which would only make sense if this thing's designed to gallop at north of 50 miles an hour (80 km/h), and behind that, a dinky little full-color dash.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kenning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kenning. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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