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A kenning is a figure of speech in which two words are combined in order to form a poetic expression that refers to a person or a thing. For example, "whale-road" is a kenning for the sea. Kennings are most commonly found in Old Norse and Old English poetry. Some additional key details about kennings:
noun (1) ken· ning ˈke-niŋ. Synonyms of kenning. chiefly Scotland. : a perceptible but small amount. kenning. 2 of 2. noun (2) : a metaphorical compound word or phrase (such as swan-road for ocean) used especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry. Examples of kenning in a Sentence. Recent Examples on the Web.
A kenning is a metaphorical compound phrase that replaces a single, concrete noun. A kenning employs figurative language to represent the simpler concept, such as using the phrase “battle-sweat” to refer to blood. Kennings are plentiful in Old Norse and Old English poetry and prose.
A kenning, which is derived from Norse and Anglo-Saxon poetry, is a stylistic device defined as a two-word phrase that describes an object through metaphors. A Kenning poem is also defined a riddle that consists of a few lines of kennings, which describe someone or something in confusing detail.
Simply put, in poetry, a kenning is when you take two words and combine them as a mild translation or metaphor for something else. So, as you’re sitting by the fire one night, enjoying an anthology of Scandinavian poetry, you might come across poem about five brave men aboard a wave-floater (a ship).
A kenning (Icelandic: [cʰɛnːiŋk]) is a figure of speech, a figuratively-phrased compound term that is used in place of a simple single-word noun. For instance, the Anglo-Saxon kenning "whale's road" (hron rade) means "sea", as does swanrād ("swan's road"). A kenning has two parts: a base-word (also known as a head-word) and a determinant.
A kenning, in literature, is a word or phrase that is a metaphor for something simpler. Calling a ship a "sea-steed," for example, is a kenning. You're most likely to hear the term kenning in a literature class, especially if you happen to be studying Old Norse or Old English poetry.
Kenning definition: a conventional poetic phrase used for or in addition to the usual name of a person or thing, especially in Icelandic and Anglo-Saxon verse, as “a wave traveler” for “a boat.”. See examples of KENNING used in a sentence.
A kenning is a two-word phrase used in place of a one-word noun. The two words are often joined together by a hyphen and form a compound word. Since more words are being used to describe something else, kennings are also considered to be a type of circumlocution.
A kenning is a figure of speech in which two words are combined to form a new expression. E.g. The poem featured various kennings, such as 'swan-road' to refer to the vast river. Kennings are most commonly found in poetry, specifically Old English and Old Norse literature.