Keen. adj. [cn, Saxon; kuhn, German; koen, Dutch.]
- Sharp; well edged; not blunt.
Come thick night
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes. Shakesp.Here is my keen-edged sword,
Deck'd with fine flower-de-luces on each side. Shakesp.To me the cries of fighting fields are charms,
Keen be my sabre, and of proof my arms. Dryden.A sword keen-edg'd within his right he held,
The warlike emblem of the conquer'd field. Dryden. - Severe; piercing.
The winds
Blow moist, and keen, shattering the graceful locks
Of these fair spreading trees; which bids us seek
Some better shroud. Milton's Par. Lost, b. x.The cold was very supportable; but as it changed to the north-west, or north, it became excessively keen. Ellis.
- Eager; vehement.
Never did I know
A creature, that did bear the shape of man,
So keen and greedy to confound a man. Shakespeare.Keen dispatch of real hunger. Milton.
The sheep were so keen upon the acorns, that they gobbled up a piece of the coat. L'Estrange.
Those curs are so extremely hungry, that they are too keen at the sport, and worry their game. Tatler, № 62
This was a prospect so very inviting, that it could not be easily withstood by any who have so keen an appetite for wealth. Swift's Miscel.
- Acrimonious; bitter of mind.
Good father cardinal, cry thou, amen,
To my keen curses. Shakesp. King John.I have known some of these absent officers as keen against Ireland, as if they had never been indebted to her. Swift.