Kenning

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɛnɪŋ/

Definitions

1. A descriptive expression that creatively replaces a common noun with a compound term, enhancing the imagery within a literary context
2. A figurative term that substitutes a standard noun for a more elaborate compound phrase, enriching poetic language and depth
3. A linguistic device that employs compound phrases to convey meanings beyond ordinary nouns, thus adding a layer of artistic expression

Etymology: The Old Norse "kenning" is the key here. Its root "kenna" meant "to know" or "to perceive," and it gave English a learned term for a specific device in skaldic poetry: a metaphorical compound that stands in for a plain noun. Instead of "ship," a skald might write "wave-steed" or "foam-horse"; instead of "battle," "sword-storm" or "corpse-harvest." The device was so central to Norse verse that it defines the word's modern sense. The English word has a more tangled ancestry than its Norse sense suggests. It descends from Old English "cennan," meaning "to make known" or "to bring forth," and through Middle English "kennen" it picked up a range of older senses: teaching, instruction, knowledge, and even sight or view. Its Norse cousin "kenning" was borrowed as a learned term, so English now has two words that share a root but reached it by different routes.