Kenning Describe Norse Earliest English Ken Ing Noun Figurative

kenning /KEN-ing/

noun

A figurative, usually compound, expression used to describe something. For example, 'whale road' for an ocean and 'oar steed' for a ship.

[From Old Norse kenna (to know). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gno- (to know), which is also the source of know, recognize, acquaint, ignore, diagnosis, notice, normal, prosopagnosia, gnomon, anagnorisis, and agnosia. Earliest documented use: 1320. Kennings were used especially in Old Norse and Old English poetry.]

“The hero, Beewolf (a kenning for bear, named the ‘bee wolf’ for its plundering of hives), heads to the Golden Hall.” - John Garth; Monster Munch; New Statesman (London, UK); May 30, 2014.

“In the dawn of the English language the earliest poets or scops invented words like ‘battleflash’ to describe a sword, or they would identify a boat by its function with a kenning like ‘wave-skimmer’.” - Samuel Hazo; What’s in a Name?; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Feb 17, 2008.