Kenliche

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Done in a keen, bold or sharp manner, with eagerness and vigor, as an archaic adverb from Middle English
2. Carried out with boldness, sharpness or keen energy, in the way a brave or eager person might act
3. Describing an action performed fiercely, boldly or with sharp intelligence, in an older English usage

Etymology: This is a Middle English adverb, the form of "kenly" meaning "boldly" or "fiercely." It is built from the adjective "kene," which descends from Old English "cēne" and meant bold, brave, or skilled, plus the adverbial ending "-liche," the ancestor of modern "-ly," which comes from Old English "-līce." The adjective has since narrowed and sharpened. Its older sense of bravery faded through the later Middle Ages, while senses of sharpness, as in a keen blade, and eagerness, as in keen interest, took over. The adverb did not survive into Modern English, so readers today meet it mainly in older texts, where its spelling varies widely.