Etymograph

English

ken

Ken comes from Middle English kennen ‘to make known’, from Old English cunnan ‘to become acquainted with, to know’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to know’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥néh₃ti‘to know, recognize’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kunnaną‘be able’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kannijaną‘to make known’reconstructedcausative of *kunnaną
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kannijan‘to know, be aware of’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150cunnan‘to become acquainted with, to know’
  7. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150cennan‘make known, declare, acknowledge’causative of cunnan
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500kennen‘to make known’
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1602ken

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵneh₃-‘to know’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ǵn̥néh₃ti‘to know, recognize’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kunnaną‘be able’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kannijaną‘to make known’reconstructedcausative of *kunnaną
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kannijan‘to know, be aware of’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150cunnan‘to become acquainted with, to know’
  7. Old English, derivedc. 450–1150cennan‘make known, declare, acknowledge’causative of cunnan
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500kennen‘to make known’
  9. Englishearliest quotation c. 1602ken

Earliest quotation: c. 1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida: “'Tis he. I ken the manner of his gate,…”

The story

Northern English dialects and Scots language from Middle English kennen, from Old English cennan (‘make known, declare, acknowledge’) originally “to make known”, causative of cunnan (‘to become acquainted with, to know’), from Proto-West Germanic *kannijan, from Proto-Germanic *kannijaną, causative of *kunnaną (‘be able’), from which comes the verb can.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- ‘to know’

know, note, normal, notice, recognize, ignore, recognition, narrative, glory, noble, notion, cognitive, ignorant, norm, diagnostic, notorious, notation, nobility, cognition, prognosis, narration, quaint, gnome, notoriety, keen, notary, incognito, agnostic, canny, connoisseur, kith, gnosis, annotate, recognizance, cognizance, 88 more

through Proto-Germanic *kunnaną ‘be able’

uncouth, keenly, 5 more

through Old English cunnan ‘to become acquainted with, to know’

can, could, con, cunning, canna, cun, 2 more

Another origin of ken

  1. Hebrew1880s–presentקֵןqēn‘nest’
  2. Englishtodayken

Another origin of ken

  1. Japanesemodern間‘space, interval’
  2. Englishtodayken

Another origin of ken

  1. Japanesemodern剣
  2. Englishtodayken

Today it means

verb To know, perceive or understand.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- / ken

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