[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/kenning/)

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# kenning

noun (a kenning, kennings)

«kenning» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A kenning is a short, two-word phrase that names something in a clever, poetic way instead of using its usual name, such as «whale-road» for the sea or «sky-candle» for the sun. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/kenning/#m1)
2. Kennings were used a lot in Old English and Old Norse poems, such as «Beowulf» and Viking sagas. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/kenning/#m2)

### In the lessons

In English lessons, pupils read and write kenning poems: a list of kennings that describe one thing, such as a cat («mouse-catcher», «lap-warmer», «sofa-scratcher»), and the reader guesses what it is. In history lessons about the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, kennings show how their poets spoke. Phrases: «kenning poem», «write a kenning».

### Examples

- «Whale-road» is a kenning for the sea. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/kenning/#x1)
- Write a kenning poem about your pet. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/kenning/#x2)
- A dog could be a «ball-chaser» or «postman-scarer». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/kenning/#x3)
- Viking poets used kennings like «bone-house» for the body. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/kenning/#x4)
- Our class guessed that «night-light» was a kenning for the moon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/kenning/#x5)
- Each line of a kenning poem is two words. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/kenning/#x6)

### Note

Countable. Kennings are usually written with a hyphen: «tree-climber». They are often noun + noun, or noun + a noun made from a verb with -er. A kenning is a kind of metaphor.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «kenning» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/K/kenning/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«kenning» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/kenning.html) on Mova free.