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
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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
Noun
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The result was a ghostly, otherworldly sound that could shift from whispers to booming calls depending on the breath.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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The results cast doubt on whether the plumes truly carry whispers of alien life, or merely echoes of lifeless chemistry on the frozen shell.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 2024, Nepal ranked 107th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, with 84% of people perceiving government corruption to be a major problem.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Chronic pain usually results from your nervous system perceiving an area of instability in your body.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The search for a mote of relatability has led Burt to excuse-making.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
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There’s a Gambit-adjacent one that has players depositing motes while killing other teams.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Density Functional Theory calculations confirmed that cobalt and iron atoms, coordinated through nitrogen dopants, optimize reaction pathways and electron transfer, explaining the high efficiency.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Recent photographs have shown the comet displaying a distinct greenish color, likely due to a molecule made from two carbon atoms bonded together, called dicarbon.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But also on board the ship that night is this detective who is charged with apprehending Providence.—
Olivia Petty,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Sep. 2025
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The immediate priority for law enforcement is locating and apprehending the suspect who should be considered armed and dangerous.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
After 40 minutes, his energy hasn’t flagged a whit.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
2 July 2025
-
The most memorable offerings didn’t care a whit about product-testing strategies.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Verb
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Most of the city's 2 million population has been displaced multiple times in the past 22 months, following Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, which claimed the lives of about 1,200 people—most of them civilians—and saw 250 people taken hostage.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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Pharmacists in the state may administer vaccines either under the direct authorization of a medical provider or by following the Virginia Board of Pharmacy’s statewide pharmacy protocols, which are usually made in accordance with ACIP recommendations.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kenning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kenning. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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