kenning

kenning · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ǵneh₃-“to know”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*kannijaną“to make known”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*kannijan
4. Old English · inherited fromcennan“to make known, declare”
5. Middle English · inherited fromkenning
6. English todaykenning

From Middle English kenning, kening (“instruction, teaching; experience, knowledge; sight, view”), from kennen (“to make known, point out, reveal; to direct, instruct, teach; to know, perceive”) + -ing. Kennen is derived from Old English cennan (“to make known, declare”), from Proto-West Germanic *kannijan, from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną (“to make known”), the causative form of *kunnaną (“to know, be familiar with, recognize; to be able to, know how”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”). Compare Danish kending (“acquaintance”), and see further at ken. By surface analysis, ken + -ing.

kenning · noun²

1. Old English · inherited fromcennan
2. Middle English · inherited fromkennen“to beget, conceive (offspring); to give birth to”
3. English todaykenning

From ken (“to beget, bring forth”), from Middle English kennen (“to beget, conceive (offspring); to give birth to”), from Old English cennan, gecennan (“to beget (offspring); to give birth to; to bring forth, produce”); see further at etymology 1.

kenning · noun³

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*kannijaną“to make known”
2. Old Norse · learned borrowing fromkenning
3. English todaykenning

A learned borrowing from Old Norse kenning, from kenna (“to know; to perceive”), from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną (“to make known”); see further at etymology 1. Compare can, keen, ken.

kenning · noun⁴

Origin unknown.

Words from the same roots