/ ken; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
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IDIOMS
- beyond your ken
■ verb
( -nn- ) [ v , vn , v ( that ), v wh- ] ( ScotE , NEngE ) to know
HELP NOTE : Kent is the usual form of the past tense used in Scotland.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English cennan tell, make known , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German kennen know, be acquainted with, from an Indo-European root shared by can (I) and know . Current senses of the verb date from Middle English ; the noun from the mid 16th cent.