Weened vs Keened - What's the difference?
weened | keened |
(ween)
(label) To suppose, imagine; to think, believe.
*:
*:And ryght as Arthur was on horsbak / ther cam a damoisel from Morgan le fey and broughte vnto syr Arthur a swerd lyke vnto Excalibur // and sayd vnto Arthur Morgan le fey sendeth here your swerd for grete loue / and he thanked her / & wende it had ben so / but she was fals / for the swerd and the scaubard was counterfeet & brutyll and fals
*1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. (Bible) , (w) VIII:
*:Then sayde Peter unto hym: Perissh thou and thy money togedder. For thou wenest that the gyfte of god maye be obteyned with money?
(label) To expect, hope or wish.
(keen)
showing a quick and ardent willingness or responsiveness, enthusiastic, eager; interested, intense.
vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite.
* (rfdate),
* (rfdate), Shakespeare
sharp; having a fine edge or point.
* (rfdate) :
acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness.
* (rfdate),
* (rfdate),
bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm.
* (rfdate)
piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc,; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.
* (rfdate),
Enthusiastic
(US, informal, dated) Marvelous.
(UK) extremely low as to be competitive.
(obsolete) brave, courageous; bold, audacious.
(rare) To sharpen; to make cold.
* (rfdate), Thomson.
To utter a keen.
* (rfdate) Stuart Howard-Jones (1904-1974), Hibernia.'' Collected in ''The New Oxford Book of English Light Verse, 1978.
To utter with a loud wailing voice or wordless cry.
*
To mourn.
*
As verbs the difference between weened and keened
is that weened is (ween) while keened is (keen).weened
English
Verb
(head)ween
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) wene, from (etyl) .Etymology 2
From (etyl) wenen, from (etyl) .Verb
Quotations
*1481 , Author unknown (pseudonym Sir (John Mandeville)), The travels of Sir John Mandeville : *:And when they will fight they will shock them together in a plump; that if there be 20000 men, men shall not ween that there be scant 10000. *1562 , (John Heywood), The proverbs, epigrams, and miscellanies of John Heywood : *:Wise men in old time would ween' themselves fools; Fools now in new time will ' ween themselves wise. *1677 , Thomas Mall, A cloud of witnesses : *:… for I ween he will no longer suffer him to abide among the adulterous and wicked Generation of this World. *1793 , (Samuel Taylor Coleridge), (Christabel) : *:But neither heat, nor frost, nor thunder, *:Shall wholly do away, I ween , *:The marks of that which once hath been. *1884 , , (Princess Ida) : *:Yet humble second shall be first, I ween *1974 , (Stanislaw Lem), (The Cyberiad) : *:Klapaucius too, I ween , Will turn the deepest green *:To hear such flawless verse from Trurl's machine.Derived terms
* overweeningEtymology 3
Anagrams
* * ----keened
English
Verb
(head)keen
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) . More at (l), (l).Alternative forms
* keene, kene (archaic)Adjective
(er)- Of full keen will.
- So keen and greedy to confound a man.
- That my keen knife see not the wound it makes.
- To make our wits more keen .
- Before the keen inquiry of her thought.
- Good father cardinal, cry thou amen to my keen curses.
- Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes.
- 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 ."
- I just got this peachy keen new dress.
- keen prices
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 alsoDerived terms
* keen-witted * keen as mustard * keen on * keenly * keennessVerb
(en verb)- Cold winter keens the brightening flood.
Etymology 2
From (etyl) .Verb
(en verb)- Keen —meaning 'brisk'? Nay, here the Language warps:
'Tis singing bawdy Ballads to a Corpse.