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 …

Kenneth Lauren Burns was born on July 29, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York. [2] His parents were Lyla Smith (née Tupper) Burns, [3] a biotechnician, [4] and Robert Kyle Burns Jr., who at the …

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

In this context, the phrase is infelicitous : ' beyond one's ken ', in its ordinary usage, means beyond one's powers of comprehension.

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

Ken in American English (ken) noun a male given name, form of Kendall or Kenneth

Dec 1, 2025 · In common usage a fossil word, found only in phrases such as beyond one’s ken and swim into one’s ken.

Ken definition: Perception; understanding.

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.

Definition of ken noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.