Adjective

(er)

Closed, shut.

* 1526 , William Tyndale, trans. Bible , Matthew chapter 8:

There is nothinge so close , that shall not be openned, and nothinge so hyd that shall not be knowen.

* Dryden

From a close bower this dainty music flowed.

Narrow; confined.

a close''' alley; '''close quarters

* Charles Dickens

a close prison

At a little distance; near.

* , chapter=7

, title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=[…] St.?Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London. Close -packed, crushed by the buttressed height of the railway viaduct, rendered airless by huge walls of factories, it at once banished lively interest from a stranger's mind and left only a dull oppression of the spirit.}}

* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-01, volume=407, issue=8838, page=71, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= End of the peer show , passage=Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close . This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.}}

Intimate; well-loved.

# (legal) Of a corporation or other business entity, closely held.

Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude.

* Francis Bacon

If the rooms be low-roofed, or full of windows and doors, the one maketh the air close , and the other maketh it exceeding unequal.

Hot, humid, with no wind.

(linguistics, phonetics, of a vowel) Articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate.

Strictly confined; carefully guarded.

a close prisoner

(obsolete) Out of the way of observation; secluded; secret; hidden.

* Bible, 1 Chron. xii. 1

He yet kept himself close because of Saul.

* Spenser

her close intent

Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced.

a close contest

Short.

to cut grass or hair close

(archaic) Dense; solid; compact.

* John Locke

The golden globe being put into a press, the water made itself way through the pores of that very close metal.

(archaic) Concise; to the point.

close reasoning

* Dryden

Where the original is close no version can reach it in the same compass.

(dated) Difficult to obtain.

Money is close .

(Bartlett)

(dated) Parsimonious; stingy.

* Hawthorne

a crusty old fellow, as close as a vice

Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact.

a close translation

(John Locke)

Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict.

The patient was kept under close observation.

Adjective

(er)

showing a quick and ardent willingness or responsiveness, enthusiastic, eager; interested, intense.

vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite.

* (rfdate),

Of full keen will.

* (rfdate), Shakespeare

So keen and greedy to confound a man.

sharp; having a fine edge or point.

* (rfdate) :

That my keen knife see not the wound it makes.

acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness.

* (rfdate),

To make our wits more keen .

* (rfdate),

Before the keen inquiry of her thought.

bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm.

* (rfdate)

Good father cardinal, cry thou amen to my keen curses.

piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc,; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.

* (rfdate),

Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes.

Enthusiastic

I'm keen to learn another language.

I'm keen on learning another language.

I'm keen on languages.

I'm keen about learning languages.

I'm keen for help.

''"Do you want to learn another language?" / "I'm keen ."

(US, informal, dated) Marvelous.

I just got this peachy keen new dress.

(UK) extremely low as to be competitive.

keen prices

(obsolete) brave, courageous; bold, audacious.