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 in particular. …

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

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

ken (n.2) "house used as a meeting place by thieves or other disreputable characters," 1560s, vagabonds' slang, probably a shortening of kennel (n.).

KEN definition: 1. not in your area of knowledge: 2. to know someone or something 3. not in your area of…. Learn more.

7 meanings: 1. range of knowledge or perception (esp in the phrases beyond or in one's ken) 2. Scottish and Northern England.... Click for more definitions.

Dec 28, 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.

These changes occurred for reasons that are beyond my ken. [=reasons that I do not know or understand] miracles that are beyond human ken [=miracles that cannot be understood by human …

The noun ken means "range of vision or comprehension." If quantum mechanics is beyond your ken, you don't understand it, or it is beyond your scope of knowledge. Ken is rarely used today outside of …