Where does “keen” come from?
Keen comes from Irish caoin, from Old Irish caín, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵneh₃-.
keen (English): Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and...
Definitions
- Often with a prepositional phrase, or with to and...
Ancestry of “keen”, step by step
keen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Irish caoin
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Irish | caoin | smooth, delicate, polished; kind, gentle,... |
| 2 | Middle Irish | caín | smooth finished side; "especially" the outer... |
| 3 | Old Irish | caín | fine, good; fair, beautiful |
| 4 | Proto-Celtic | *kanis | nice, good |
via Middle English kene
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | kene | keen |
| 2 | Old English | cēne | keen, fierce, bold, brave, warlike, powerful;... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | kōniz | able, knowledgeable, skillful, clever |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneh₃- | to know |
Words derived from “keen”