as in halfpenny
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Recent Examples of kenning
Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
The kenning’s true meaning lies beyond the edges of my comprehension.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
My favorite parts of the book are those where there's a new kenning.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Most of the writers attempting to imitate Tolkien weren’t steeped in the rhythm of Old English kennings, or the spiritual yearning of chivalric romance.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
Weinersmith has successfully captured the spirit of this timeless story, weaving in generous amounts of alliteration and his version of Old English kennings, a compound figure of speech that replaces a common noun with two or more words that make for a more figurative than literal description.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Noun
This is a kenning that evokes a natural transition to darkness and also an unfinished human endeavor.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
The kenning’s true meaning lies beyond the edges of my comprehension.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
My favorite parts of the book are those where there's a new kenning.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Most of the writers attempting to imitate Tolkien weren’t steeped in the rhythm of Old English kennings, or the spiritual yearning of chivalric romance.
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 2 June 2023
Weinersmith has successfully captured the spirit of this timeless story, weaving in generous amounts of alliteration and his version of Old English kennings, a compound figure of speech that replaces a common noun with two or more words that make for a more figurative than literal description.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kenning
Noun
-
Indeed, in 2023, his music earned him just shy of $200,000, about one halfpenny at a time.—
Brett Martin,
New York Times,
31 Mar. 2024
-
In nineteenth-century England, tailors would place old halfpennies in the pockets of a man’s new suit for good luck.—
Hua Hsu,
The New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2023
Noun
-
On a sunlit slope above the Aegean, the ruins of an old Greek estate whisper stories of power, legacy, and familial pride.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
-
What was once spoken only in whispers, if at all, by our mothers and grandmothers, is now trending on TikTok.—
Time,
Time,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
These active hunters, rather than passively perceiving their environment, require sharper vision to locate and capture prey.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2025
-
However, perceiving the existence of Assyrians in Iraq as stable is a grave misunderstanding.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
This is similar in size to the icy particles in Saturn's rings, for example, and the ice is likely frozen around motes of interplanetary dust.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
19 May 2025
-
Reactivate to speed back to your beacon as a mote of pure light.—
Mike Stubbs,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Two atoms of oxygen bound together as oxygen gas have a pull similarly as strong as a single atom on its own.—
Laura Poppick,
Rolling Stone,
30 June 2025
-
Clearly people are interested in that whole splitting of the atom.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
27 June 2025
Noun
-
After 40 minutes, his energy hasn’t flagged a whit.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
2 July 2025
-
Nevertheless, the basic design of commercial nuclear power reactors has changed not a whit.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 July 2010
Verb
-
What To Know In a clip shared to X, formerly Twitter, McIlroy embraces his wife following his victory.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Right-hander Colin Rea delivered a solid outing, limiting the Dodgers to one run in 3 2/3 innings in his first start in Justin Steele’s rotation spot following the news Sunday that the lefty will be undergoing season-ending surgery on his elbow.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The 100-meter dash field for this year’s Prefontaine Classic included the entire Paris Olympic podium with Alfred, Sha'Carri Richardson, and Jefferson-Wooden.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
-
For drivers coming into Fujairah, the rumble strip initially looks like a larger, rectangular version of the dash lines separating the three-lane highway.—
Gabe Levin,
Los Angeles Times,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kenning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kenning. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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