Ken appeared on the English horizon in the 16th century referring to the distance bounding the range of ordinary vision at sea (about 20 miles), and would thus have been familiar to skippers …

KEN definition: knowledge, understanding, or cognizance; mental perception. See examples of ken used in a sentence.

1. knowledge or understanding: an idea beyond one's ken. 2. range of sight or vision.

KEN definition: 1. not in your area of knowledge: 2. to know someone or something 3. not in your area of…. Learn more.

7 meanings: 1. range of knowledge or perception (esp in the phrases beyond or in one's ken) 2. Scottish and Northern England.... Click for more definitions.

Dec 28, 2025 · In common usage a fossil word, found only in phrases such as beyond one’s ken and swim into one’s ken.

There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun ken, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

ken (n.2) "house used as a meeting place by thieves or other disreputable characters," 1560s, vagabonds' slang, probably a shortening of kennel (n.).

Apr 21, 2025 · Explore the slang meaning of 'ken', its historical roots, and how it's used in contemporary communication. Understand its impact, statistics, and cultural significance in …

Ken is also a masculine given name of Scottish / Scottish Gaelic origin. It is used as a given name or as a short form of names with the letters "Ken" (like Kenneth, Kenan, Kendrick, Kendall, …