as in halfpenny
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Recent Examples of kenning
Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
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
The kenning’s true meaning lies beyond the edges of my comprehension.
—Jonah Walters, Longreads, 24 Oct. 2024
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
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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
Verb
-
For starters, even though federal law requires hospitals to list their prices publicly, fathoming these files is almost impossible.—
Rufina Chow,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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However, Chiefs veteran center Creed Humphrey says his team won't be listening to those, or even fathoming the thought of panicking.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
18 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In a world where most conversations take the form of cautious whispers, information degrades quickly.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
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With a whisper of mineral notes, Ford’s was a bracingly hefty gin with impressive structure.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Abraham Lincoln was wary of the doctrine, perceiving that any such notion of divine inevitability could be used to justify land grabs and war.—
Sebastian Smee,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Kepler devoted much of his career to figuring out optics, and was arguably the first scientific thinker to articulate the difference between seeing and perceiving.—
Rebecca Boyle,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Tiny bugs float in the sun like dust motes, and there are graceful flies large enough to require a runway landing.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
Sunbeams through the windows illuminate floating dust motes—and, imperceptibly, microdroplets of mucus carrying the measles virus, expelled from an infected but asymptomatic child who is hopping and laughing among the others.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This is a dynamic layer between about 410 and 660 kilometers depth where the physical properties of minerals see sudden changes as their atoms rearrange under immense pressure.—
James Dinneen,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
-
On Earth, the Large Hadron Collider can smash atoms together and accelerate particles to near light speeds — but in space, there are high-energy cosmic rays with over 10 million times more power than even those zippy particles.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
In the video shared exclusively with Fox News by ICE, officers are seen apprehending and arresting the Honduran national.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Danamarie McNicholl,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 compelled authorities in northern free states to assist in apprehending and returning those who escaped back to slavery.—
Jeremy Mennis,
The Conversation,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
His adoration, here as in all things natural, is infectious, although the birds themselves care not a whit for him, and isn’t that part of the wonder, the fun?—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
-
An unconventional structure or new approach bothers them not a whit.—
Mac Barnett,
Longreads,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Kenning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kenning. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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