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Keen vs Appetite - What's the difference?

keen | appetite |

As nouns the difference between keen and appetite

is that keen is a prolonged wail for a deceased person while appetite is desire for, or relish of, food or drink; hunger.

As an adjective keen

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

As a verb keen

is (rare) to sharpen; to make cold or keen can be to utter a keen.

keen

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) . More at (l), (l).

Alternative forms

* keene, kene (archaic)

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.
    • Usage notes
    * Keen is often used in the composition of words, most of which are of obvious signification; as, keen-edged, keen-eyed, keen-sighted, keen-witted, etc.
    Synonyms
    * prompt; eager; ardent; sharp; acute; cutting; penetrating; biting; severe; sarcastic; satirical; piercing; shrewd. * See also
    Derived terms
    * keen-witted * keen as mustard * keen on * keenly * keenness

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (rare) To sharpen; to make cold.
  • * (rfdate), Thomson.
    • Cold winter keens the brightening flood.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A prolonged wail for a deceased person.
  • * '>citation

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To utter a keen.
  • * (rfdate) Stuart Howard-Jones (1904-1974), Hibernia.'' Collected in ''The New Oxford Book of English Light Verse, 1978.
    • Keen —meaning 'brisk'? Nay, here the Language warps:
    'Tis singing bawdy Ballads to a Corpse.
  • To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
  • *
  • To mourn.
  • *
    • Related terms
    * keener * keeness

    Anagrams

    * ----

    appetite

    English

    (Webster 1913)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Desire for, or relish of, food or drink; hunger.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers)
    • , chapter=5, title= A Cuckoo in the Nest , passage=The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite . There is something humiliating about it.}}
  • Any strong desire; an eagerness or longing.
  • * (Jeremy Taylor) (1613–1677)
    • If God had given to eagles an appetite to swim.
  • * (1800-1859)
    • To gratify the vulgar appetite for the marvelous.
  • The desire for some personal gratification, either of the body or of the mind.
  • * (Richard Hooker) (1554-1600)
    • The object of appetite is whatsoever sensible good may be wished for; the object of will is that good which reason does lead us to seek.
  • A taste, preference.

    • Quotations

    * 1904 , (Arthur Conan Doyle) in (The Adventure of Black Peter) *: And I return with an excellent appetite . There can be no question, my dear Watson, of the value of exercise before breakfast. But I am prepared to bet that you will not guess the form that my exercise has taken.

    Synonyms

    (checksyns) * craving, longing, desire, appetency, passion

    Derived terms

    () * appetitive * appetizer * appetizing * appetizingly

    External links

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