Ken appeared on the English horizon in the 16th century referring to the distance bounding the range of ordinary vision at sea (about 20 miles), and would thus have been familiar to skippers in particular. …

KEN definition: knowledge, understanding, or cognizance; mental perception. See examples of ken used in a sentence.

KEN definition: 1. not in your area of knowledge: 2. to know someone or something 3. not in your area of…. Learn more.

1. knowledge or understanding: an idea beyond one's ken. 2. range of sight or vision.

Ken in American English (ken) noun a male given name, form of Kendall or Kenneth

Dec 13, 2025 · In common usage a fossil word, found only in phrases such as beyond one’s ken and swim into one’s ken.

The noun ken means "range of vision or comprehension." If quantum mechanics is beyond your ken, you don't understand it, or it is beyond your scope of knowledge. Ken is rarely used today outside of …