Chapter 57

Kai"nit (?), n. [Trade name, fr. kainite.] Salts of potassium used in the manufacture of fertilizers.

Kai"nite (?), n. [Gr. &?; recent.] (Min.) A compound salt consisting chiefly of potassium chloride and magnesium sulphate, occurring at the Stassfurt salt mines in Prussian Saxony.

Kai`no*zo"ic (?), a. See Cenozoic.

Ka*ique" (?), n. (Naut.) See Caique.

Kai"rine (?), n. (Chem.) A pale buff or white crystalline alkaloid derived from quinoline, and used as an antipyretic in medicine.

Kai`ro*line (?), n. (Chem.) An organic base obtained from quinoline. It is used as a febrifuge, and resembles kairine.

Kai"ser (?), n. [Gr., fr. L. Caesar. Cf. Kesar, and Czar.] The ancient title of emperors of Germany assumed by King William of Prussia when crowned sovereign of the new German empire in 1871.

Ka"ka (?), n. [Maori kaka a parrot; -- so named from its note.] (Zoöl.) A New Zealand parrot of the genus Nestor, especially the brown parrot (Nestor meridionalis).

The mountain kaka, or kea (N. notabilis), is remarkable for having recently acquired carnivorous habits. It attacks and kills lambs and pigs, sometimes doing great damage.

Night kaka. (Zoöl.) The kakapo.

Ka`ka*po" (?), n. (Zoöl.) A singular nocturnal parrot (Strigops habroptilus), native of New Zealand. It lives in holes during the day, but is active at night. It resembles an owl in its colors and general appearance. It has large wings, but can fly only a short distance. Called also owl parrot, night parrot, and night kaka.

Kak`a*ral"li (?), n. A kind of wood common in Demerara, durable in salt water, because not subject to the depredations of the sea worm and barnacle.

Kak`is*toc"ra*cy (kk`s*tk"r*s), n. [Gr. ka`kistos worst + kratei^n to rule.] Government by the worst men.

Ka*kox"ene (?), n. See Cacoxene.

Ka*lan" (?), n. (Zoöl.) The sea otter.

Ka`la*sie" (?), n. (Zoöl.) A long-tailed monkey of Borneo (Semnopithecus rubicundus). It has a tuft of long hair on the head.

Kale (?), n. [Scot. kale, kail, cale, colewort, Gael. cael; akin to Ir. cal, W. cawl, Armor. kaol. See Cole.]

1. (Bot.) A variety of cabbage in which the leaves do not form a head, being nearly the original or wild form of the species. [Written also kail, and cale.]

2. See Kail, 2.

Sea kale (Bot.), a European cruciferous herb (Crambe maritima), often used as a pot herb; sea cabbage.

Ka*leege" (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of several species of large, crested, Asiatic pheasants, belonging to the genus Euplocamus, and allied to the firebacks.

{ Ka*lei"do*phon (?), Ka*lei"do*phone (?), } [Gr. &?; beautiful + &?; appearance, form + &?; sound.] (Physics.) An instrument invented by Professor Wheatstone, consisting of a reflecting knob at the end of a vibrating rod or thin plate, for making visible, in the motion of a point of light reflected from the knob, the paths or curves corresponding with the musical notes produced by the vibrations.

Ka*lei"do*scope (?), n. [Gr. &?; beautiful + &?; form + -scope.] An instrument invented by Sir David Brewster, which contains loose fragments of colored glass, etc., and reflecting surfaces so arranged that changes of position exhibit its contents in an endless variety of beautiful colors and symmetrical forms. It has been much employed in arts of design.

Shifting like the fragments of colored glass in the kaleidoscope.

G. W. Cable.

{ Ka*lei`do*scop"ic (?), Ka*lei`do*scop"ic*al (?), } a. Of, pertaining to, or formed by, a kaleidoscope; variegated.

Kal"en*dar (?), n. See Calendar.

Kal`en*da"ri*al (?), a. See Calendarial.

Kal"en*der (?), n. See 3d Calender.

Kal"ends (?), n. Same as Calends.

||Ka"li (?), n. [Skr. kali.] (Hind. Cosmog.) The last and worst of the ||four ages of the world; -- considered to have begun B. C. 3102, and ||to last 432,000 years. || ||Ka"li, n. [Skr. kl.] (Hind. Myth.) The black, destroying goddess; -- ||called also Doorga, Anna Purna. || Ka"li (?), n. [Ar. qali. See Alkali.] (Bot.) The glasswort (Salsola Kali).

Ka"lif (?), n. See Caliph.

Ka"li*form (?), a. [Kali + - form.] Formed like kali, or glasswort.

Ka*lig"e*nous (?), a. [Kali + -genous. See Alkali.] Forming alkalies with oxygen, as some metals.

Ka"li*um (?), n. [NL. See Kali.] (Chem.) Potassium; -- so called by the German chemists.

||Kal"ki (?), n. [Skr.] The name of Vishnu in his tenth and last ||avatar. Whitworth. || ||Kal"mi*a (?), n. [NL. Named in honor of Peter Kalm, a Swedish ||botanist.] (Bot.) A genus of North American shrubs with poisonous ||evergreen foliage and corymbs of showy flowers. Called also mountain ||laurel, ivy bush, lamb kill, calico bush, etc. || Kal"muck (?), n. 1. pl. (Ethnol.) See Calmucks.

2. A kind of shaggy cloth, resembling bearskin.

3. A coarse, dyed, cotton cloth, made in Prussia.

Ka*long" (?), n. (Zoöl.) A fruit bat, esp. the Indian edible fruit bat (Pteropus edulis).

Ka*loy"er (?), n. See Caloyer.

||Kal"pa (?), n. [Skr.] (Hind. Myth.) One of the Brahmanic eons, a ||period of 4,320,000,000 years. At the end of each Kalpa the world is ||annihilated. || Kal"so*mine (?), n. & v. t. Same as Calcimine.

Kam (?), a. [From Celtic; cf. Gael., Ir., & W. cam. Cf. Jamb, n.] Crooked; awry. [Obs.] "This is clean kam." Shak.

||Ka"ma (?), n. [Skr. kma love, the god of love.] The Hindoo Cupid. He ||is represented as a beautiful youth, with a bow of sugar cane or ||flowers. || Ka*ma"la (?), n. (Bot.) The red dusty hairs of the capsules of an East Indian tree (Mallotus Philippinensis) used for dyeing silk. It is violently emetic, and is used in the treatment of tapeworm. [Written also kameela.]

Kame (?), n. A low ridge. [Scot.] See Eschar.

||Ka"mi (?), n. pl. [Japanese.] A title given to the celestial gods of ||the first mythical dynasty of Japan and extended to the demigods of ||the second dynasty, and then to the long line of spiritual princes ||still represented by the mikado. || Ka"mi*chi (?), n. (Zoöl.) A curious South American bird (Anhima, or Palamedea, cornuta), often domesticated by the natives and kept with poultry, which it defends against birds of prey. It has a long, slender, hornlike ornament on its head, and two sharp spurs on each wing. Although its beak, feet, and legs resemble those of gallinaceous birds, it is related in anatomical characters to the ducks and geese (Anseres). Called also horned screamer. The name is sometimes applied also to the chaja. See Chaja, and Screamer.

Kamp*tu"li*con (?), n. [Gr. &?; to bend + &?; material, fr. &?; wood, matter.] A kind of elastic floor cloth, made of India rubber, gutta-percha, linseed oil, and powdered cork.

Kam"py*lite (?), n. [Gr. &?; bent, curved, fr. &?; to bend.] (Min.) A variety of mimetite or arseniate of lead in hexagonal prisms of a fine orange yellow. [Written also campylite.]

{ Kam*sin", Kham*sin" } (?), n. [Ar. khamsn, fr. khamsn, oblique case khamsn, fifty; -- so called because it blows for about fifty days, from April till June.] A hot southwesterly wind in Egypt, coming from the Sahara. [Written also Khamseen.]

Kam"tscha*dales (?), n. pl. (Ethnol.) An aboriginal tribe inhabiting the southern part of Kamtschatka.

Kan (?), v. t. To know; to ken. [Obs.] See Ken.

Kan (?), n. See Khan.

{ Ka*nack"a (?), Ka*na"ka (?), } n. [Native name, prop., a man.] A native of the Sandwich Islands.

Kan"chil (?), n. [Malay canchl.] (Zoöl.) A small chevrotain of the genus Tragulus, esp. T. pygmæus, or T. kanchil, inhabiting Java, Sumatra, and adjacent islands; a deerlet. It is noted for its agility and cunning.

Kand (?), n. (Mining) Fluor spar; -- so called by Cornish miners.

Kan"ga*roo" (?), n. [Said to be the native name.] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of jumping marsupials of the family Macropodidæ. They inhabit Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands, They have long and strong hind legs and a large tail, while the fore legs are comparatively short and feeble. The giant kangaroo (Macropus major) is the largest species, sometimes becoming twelve or fourteen feet in total length. The tree kangaroos, belonging to the genus Dendrolagus, live in trees; the rock kangaroos, of the genus Petrogale, inhabit rocky situations; and the brush kangaroos, of the genus Halmaturus, inhabit wooded districts. See Wallaby.

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Kangaroo apple (Bot.), the edible fruit of the Tasmanian plant Solanum aviculare. -- Kangaroo grass (Bot.), a perennial Australian forage grass (Anthistiria australis). -- Kangaroo hare (Zoöl.), the jerboa kangaroo. See under Jerboa. -- Kangaroo mouse. (Zoöl.) See Jumping mouse, under Jumping. -- Kangaroo rat (Zoöl.), the potoroo.

Kan"sas (?), n. pl. (Ethnol.) A tribe of Indians allied to the Winnebagoes and Osages. They formerly inhabited the region which is now the State of Kansas, but were removed to the Indian Territory.

Kant"i*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Immanuel Kant, the German philosopher; conformed or relating to any or all of the philosophical doctrines of Immanuel Kant.

Kant"i*an, n. A follower of Kant; a Kantist.

{ Kant"i*an*ism, Kant"ism } (?), n. The doctrine or theory of Kant; the Kantian philosophy.

Kant"ist n. A disciple or follower of Kant.

Kant"try (?), n. Same as Cantred.

{ Ka"o*lin, Ka"o*line } (?), n. [Chin. kao-ling.] (Min.) A very pure white clay, ordinarily in the form of an impalpable powder, and used to form the paste of porcelain; China clay; porcelain clay. It is chiefly derived from the decomposition of common feldspar.

The name is now applied to all porcelain clays which endure the fire without discoloration.

Ka`o*lin`i*za"tion (?), n. The process by which feldspar is changed into kaolin.

Ka"o*lin*ize (?), v. t. To convert into kaolin.

||Ka*pel"le (?), n. [G.] (Mus.) A chapel; hence, the choir or orchestra ||of a prince's chapel; now, a musical establishment, usually ||orchestral. Grove. || ||Ka*pell"meis`ter (?), n. [G.] (Mus.) See Capellmeister. || Ka"pi*a (?), n. [Native name.] (Min.) The fossil resin of the kauri tree of New Zealand.

Kap"no*mar (?), n. (Chem.) See Capnomor.

Kar"a*gane (?), n. [Russ. karagan'] (Zoöl.) A species of gray fox found in Russia.

Ka"ra*ism (?), n. Doctrines of the Karaites.

Ka"ra*ite (?), n. [Heb. qr to read.] (Eccl. Hist.) A sect of Jews who adhere closely to the letter of the Scriptures, rejecting the oral law, and allowing the Talmud no binding authority; -- opposed to the Rabbinists.

Ka*ra"tas (?), n. (Bot.) A West Indian plant of the Pineapple family (Nidularium Karatas).

Kar"ma (?), n. [Skr.] (Buddhism) One's acts considered as fixing one's lot in the future existence. (Theos.) The doctrine of fate as the inflexible result of cause and effect; the theory of inevitable consequence.

Kar*ma"thi*an (?), n. One of a Mohammedan sect founded in the ninth century by Karmat.

Karn (?), n. [Cornish. Cf. Cairn.] (Mining) A pile of rocks; sometimes, the solid rock. See Cairn.

Ka"rob (?), n. [Cf. Carat.] The twenty-fourth part of a grain; -- a weight used by goldsmiths. Crabb.

Kar"pho*lite (?), n. [Gr. &?; rice straw + -lite: cf. F. carpholithe.] (Min.) A fibrous mineral occurring in tufts of a straw-yellow color. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina and manganese.

Kar*roo" (kr*r"), n.; pl. Karroos (-rz"). One of the dry table-lands of South Africa, which often rise terracelike to considerable elevations. [Also karoo.]

The Great Karroo, or The Karroo, a vast plateau, in Cape Colony, stretching through five degrees of longitude, at an elevation of about 3,000 feet.

Kar"sten*ite (?), n. Same as Anhydrite.

Kar"vel (?), n. [Obs.] See Carvel, and Caravel.

||Kar"y*o*ki*ne`sis (kr`**k*n"ss), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ka`ryon a nut, ||kernel + kinei^n to move.] (Biol.) The indirect division of cells in ||which, prior to division of the cell protoplasm, complicated changes ||take place in the nucleus, attended with movement of the nuclear ||fibrils; -- opposed to karyostenosis. The nucleus becomes enlarged ||and convoluted, and finally the threads are separated into two groups ||which ultimately become disconnected and constitute the daughter ||nuclei. Called also mitosis. See Cell development, under Cell. || Kar`y*o*ki*net"ic (-nt"k), a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to karyokinesis; as, karyokinetic changes of cell division.

||Kar`y*om"i*ton (-m"*tn), n. [NL., Gr. ka`ryon a nut + mi`tos a ||thread.] (Biol.) The reticular network of fine fibers, of which the ||nucleus of a cell is in part composed; -- in opposition to kytomiton, ||or the network in the body of the cell. W. Flemming. || ||Kar`y*o*plas"ma (kr`**plz"m), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ka`ryon a nut + ||pla`sma a thing molded.] (Biol.) The protoplasmic substance of the ||nucleus of a cell: nucleoplasm; -- in opposition to kytoplasma, the ||protoplasm of the cell. || ||Kar`y*o*ste*no"sis (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ka`ryon a nut, kernel + &?; ||a being straitened.] (Biol.) Direct cell division (in which there is ||first a simple division of the nucleus, without any changes in its ||structure, followed by division of the protoplasm of the cell); -- in ||opposition to karyokinesis. [1913 Webster]

Kar`y*o*ste*not"ic (?), a. (Biol.) Pertaining to, or connected with, karyostenosis; as, the karyostenotic mode of nuclear division.

Ka*sack" (kt), n. (Ethnol.) Same as Cossack.

Kat (kät), n. (Bot.) An Arabian shrub (Catha edulis) the leaves of which are used as tea by the Arabs.

Kat`a*bol"ic (?), a. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to katabolism; as, katabolic processes, which give rise to substances (katastates) of decreasing complexity and increasing stability.

Ka*tab"o*lism (?), n. [Gr. &?; down + &?; to throw.] (Physiol.) Destructive or downward metabolism; regressive metamorphism; -- opposed to anabolism. See Disassimilation.

Kat"a*state (?), n. [Gr. (&?;) down + (&?;) to cause to stand.] (Physiol.) A substance formed by a katabolic process; -- opposed to anastate. See Katabolic.

Kate (?), n. (Zoöl.) The brambling finch.

Kath"e*tal (?), a. [Gr. &?; a perpendicular line. See Cathetus.] (Math.) Making a right angle; perpendicular, as two lines or two sides of a triangle, which include a right angle.

Kath`e*tom"e*ter (?), n. Same as Cathetometer.

Kat`ti*mun"doo (?), n. A caoutchouc-like substance obtained from the milky juice of the East Indian Euphorbia Kattimundoo. It is used as a cement.

Ka"ty*did` (?), n. (Zoöl.) A large, green, arboreal, orthopterous insect (Cyrtophyllus concavus) of the family Locustidæ, common in the United States. The males have stridulating organs at the bases of the front wings. During the summer and autumn, in the evening, the males make a peculiar, loud, shrill sound, resembling the combination Katy-did, whence the name.

||Ka"u*ri (?), n. [Native name.] (Bot.) A lofty coniferous tree of New ||Zealand Agathis, or Dammara, australis), furnishing valuable timber ||and yielding one kind of dammar resin. [Written also kaudi, cowdie, ||and cowrie.] || Ka"va (?), n. [Polynesian.] (Bot.) A species of Macropiper (M. methysticum), the long pepper, from the root of which an intoxicating beverage is made by the Polynesians, by a process of mastication; also, the beverage itself. [Written also kawa, kava, and ava.]

Ka*vass" (?), n.; pl. Kavasses (#) [Turk. kvvs] An armed constable; also, a government servant or courier. [Turkey]

Kaw (?), v. i. & n. See Caw.

Ka*wa"ka (?), n. (Bot.) a New Zealand tree, the Cypress cedar (Libocedrus Doniana), having a valuable, fine-grained, reddish wood.

Kawn (?), n. An inn. [Turkey] See Khan.

Kay"ak (?), n. (Naut.) A light canoe, made of skins stretched over a frame, and usually capable of carrying but one person, who sits amidships and uses a double-bladed paddle. It is peculiar to the Eskimos and other Arctic tribes.

Kay"ak*er (?), n. One who uses a kayak.

Kay"ko (?), n. (Zoöl.) The dog salmon.

Kayles (?), n. pl. [Akin to Dan. kegle, Sw. kegla, D. & G. kegel, OHG. kegil, whence F. quille.] A game; ninepins. [Prov Eng.] Carew.

Kay"nard (?), n. [F. cagnard.] A lazy or cowardly person; a rascal. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Keck (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Kecked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Kecking.] [Cf. dial. G. köcken, köken.] To heave or to retch, as in an effort to vomit. [R.] Swift.

Keck, n. An effort to vomit; queasiness. [R.]

Kec"kle (?), v. i. & n. See Keck, v. i. & n.

Kec"kle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Keckled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Keckling (?).] (Naut.) To wind old rope around, as a cable, to preserve its surface from being fretted, or to wind iron chains around, to defend from the friction of a rocky bottom, or from the ice. Totten.

Kec"kling (?), n. Old rope or iron chains wound around a cable. See Keckle, v. t.

Kec"klish (?), a. [From keck, keckle.] Inclined to vomit; squeamish. [R.] Holland.

Keck"sy (?), n.; pl. Kecksies (-sz). [Properly pl. of kex. See Kex.] (Bot.) The hollow stalk of an umbelliferous plant, such as the cow parsnip or the hemlock. [Written also kex, and in pl., kecks, kaxes.]

Nothing teems But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs.

Shak.

Keck"y (?), a. Resembling a kecksy. Grew.

Kedge (kj), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Kedged (kjd); p. pr. & vb. n. Kedging.] [Cf. dial. Sw. keka to tug, to drag one's self slowly forward; or perh. fr. ked, and kedge, n., for keg anchor, named from the keg or cask fastened to the anchor to show where it lies.] (Naut.) To move (a vessel) by carrying out a kedge in a boat, dropping it overboard, and hauling the vessel up to it.

Kedge, n. [See Kedge, v. t.] (Naut.) A small anchor used whenever a large one can be dispensed with. See Kedge, v. t., and Anchor, n.

Kedg"er (?) n. (Naut.) A small anchor; a kedge.

Ked"lock (kd"lk), n. [Cf. dial. G. köddik, küdik, kettich, keek, Dan. kidike, E. charlock, and AS. cedelc the herb mercury.] (Bot.) See Charlock.

Kee (k), n. pl. of Cow. [AS. c, pl. of c cow. See Kine.] See Kie, Ky, and Kine. [Prov. Eng.] Gay.

Keech (kch), n. [Cf. Prov. E. keech a cake.] A mass or lump of fat rolled up by the butcher. [Obs.] Shak.

Keel (kl), v. t. & i. [AS. clan to cool, fr. cl cool. See Cool.] To cool; to skim or stir. [Obs.]

While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

Shak.

Keel, n. A brewer's cooling vat; a keelfat.

Keel, n. [Cf. AS. ceól ship; akin to D. & G. kiel keel, OHG. chiol ship, Icel. kjll, and perh. to Gr. gay^los a round-built Phœnician merchant vessel, gaylo`s bucket; cf. Skr. gla ball, round water vessel. But the meaning of the English word seems to come from Icel. kjölr keel, akin to Sw. köl, Dan. kjöl.] 1. (Shipbuilding) A longitudinal timber, or series of timbers scarfed together, extending from stem to stern along the bottom of a vessel. It is the principal timber of the vessel, and, by means of the ribs attached on each side, supports the vessel's frame. In an iron vessel, a combination of plates supplies the place of the keel of a wooden ship. See Illust. of Keelson.

2. Fig.: The whole ship.

3. A barge or lighter, used on the Tyne for carrying coal from Newcastle; also, a barge load of coal, twenty-one tons, four cwt. [Eng.]

4. (Bot.) The two lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower, united and inclosing the stamens and pistil; a carina. See Carina.

5. (Nat. Hist.) A projecting ridge along the middle of a flat or curved surface.

Bilge keel (Naut.), a keel peculiar to ironclad vessels, extending only a portion of the length of the vessel under the bilges. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- False keel. See under False. -- Keel boat. (a) A covered freight boat, with a keel, but no sails, used on Western rivers. [U. S.] (b) A low, flat-bottomed freight boat. See Keel, n., 3. -- Keel piece, one of the timbers or sections of which a keel is composed. -- On even keel, in a level or horizontal position, so that the draught of water at the stern and the bow is the same. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Keel, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Keeled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Keeling.] 1. To traverse with a keel; to navigate.

2. To turn up the keel; to show the bottom.

To keel over, to upset; to capsize. [Colloq.]

Keel"age (?), n. [Cf. F. guillage, fr. guille keel; of German or Scand origin. See 3d Keel.] The right of demanding a duty or toll for a ship entering a port; also, the duty or toll. Bouvier. Wharton.

Keeled (?), a. 1. (Bot.) Keel-shaped; having a longitudinal prominence on the back; as, a keeled leaf.

2. (Zoöl.) Having a median ridge; carinate; as, a keeled scale.

Keel"er (?), n. [See 3d Keel.] 1. One employed in managing a Newcastle keel; -- called also keelman.

2. A small or shallow tub; esp., one used for holding materials for calking ships, or one used for washing dishes, etc.

Keel"fat` (?), n. [Keel to cool + fat a large tub, a vat.] (Brewing) A cooler; a vat for cooling wort, etc. [Written also keelvat.] Johnson.

Keel"haul` (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Keelhauled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Keelhauling.] [3d keel + haul: cf. LG. & D. kielhalen, G. kielholen. ] [Written also keelhale.] (Naut.) To haul under the keel of a ship, by ropes attached to the yardarms on each side. It was formerly practiced as a punishment in the Dutch and English navies. Totten.

Kee"ling (?), n. [Cf. Icel. keila, Sw. kolja, Dan. kulle.] (Zoöl.) A cod.

Kee"li*vine (?), n. [Cf. Gael. cil ruddle.] A pencil of black or red lead; -- called also keelyvine pen. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

Keel"man (?), n.; pl. - men (&?;). See Keeler, 1.

Keel"rake` (?), v. t. (Naut.) Same as Keelhaul.

Keels (?), n. pl. Ninepins. See Kayles.

Keel"son (?), n. [Akin to Sw. kölsvin, Dan. kjölsviin, G. kielschwein; apparently compounded of the words keel and swine; but cf. Norweg. kjölsvill, where svill is akin to E. sill, n. ] (Shipbuilding) A piece of timber in a ship laid on the middle of the floor timbers over the keel, and binding the floor timbers to the keel; in iron vessels, a structure of plates, situated like the keelson of a timber ship.

Cross keelson, a similar structure lying athwart the main keelson, to support the engines and boilers.

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Keel"vat` (kl"vt`), n. See Keelfat.

Keen (kn), a. [Compar. Keener (-r); superl. Keenest.] [OE. kene sharp, bold, AS. cne bold; akin to D. koen, OHG. kuoni, G. kühn, OSw. kyn, kön, Icel. kænn, for kœnn wise; perh. akin to E. ken, can to be able. &radic;45. ] 1. Sharp; having a fine edge or point; as, a keen razor, or a razor with a keen edge.

A bow he bare and arwes [arrows] bright and kene.

Chaucer.

That my keen knife see not the wound it makes.

Shak.

2. Acute of mind; sharp; penetrating; having or expressing mental acuteness; as, a man of keen understanding; a keen look; keen features.

To make our wits more keen.

Shak.

Before the keen inquiry of her thought.

Cowper.

3. Bitter; piercing; acrimonious; cutting; stinging; severe; as, keen satire or sarcasm.

Good father cardinal, cry thou amen To my keen curses.

Shak.

4. Piercing; penetrating; cutting; sharp; -- applied to cold, wind, etc.; as, a keen wind; the cold is very keen.

Breasts the keen air, and carols as he goes.

Goldsmith.

5. Eager; vehement; fierce; as, a keen appetite. "Of full kene will." Piers Plowman.

So keen and greedy to confound a man.

Shak.

Keen is often used in the composition of words, most of which are of obvious signification; as, keen-edged, keen-eyed, keen-sighted, keen-witted, etc.

Syn. -- Prompt; eager; ardent; sharp; acute; cutting; penetrating; biting; severe; sarcastic; satirical; piercing; shrewd.

Keen, v. t. To sharpen; to make cold. [R.]

Cold winter keens the brightening flood.

Thomson.

Keen, n. [Ir. caoine.] A prolonged wail for a deceased person. Cf. Coranach. [Ireland] Froude.

Keen, v. i. To wail as a keener does. [Ireland]

Keen"er (?), n. A professional mourner who wails at a funeral. [Ireland]

Keen"ly, adv. In a keen manner.

Keen"ness, n. The quality or state of being keen.

Keep (kp), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Kept (kpt); p. pr. & vb. n. Keeping.] [OE. kpen, AS. cpan to keep, regard, desire, await, take, betake; cf. AS. copenere lover, OE. copnien to desire.] 1. To care; to desire. [Obs.]

I kepe not of armes for to yelp [boast].

Chaucer.