13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a1845, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a1830, in the meaning defined above

Middle English kene brave, sharp, from Old English cēne brave; akin to Old High German kuoni braveborrowed from Irish caoin-, verbal noun caoineadh "utter a cry of sorrow for, mourn, lament," going back to Old Irish coínid "(s/he) laments, bewails, deplores," perhaps borrowed from the British Celtic base of Welsh cwynaf, verbal noun cwyno "lament, bemoan, mourn" (Old Welsh cuinhaunt "[they] will bemoan"), Middle Breton queinyff "wail, groan"

NOTE: Vendryes et al., Lexique étymologique de l'irlandais ancien, suggest alternatively that the British Celtic forms go back to *cei-n-, with Old Irish ciid "cries, weeps, laments" representing *ci- (zero grade?) and its verbal noun coí continuing *coi-. There are no certain comparable forms outside Celtic.

probably derivative of keen entry 2 (or borrowed from its source, Irish caoin-)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a1845, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a1830, in the meaning defined above

Middle English kene brave, sharp, from Old English cēne brave; akin to Old High German kuoni braveborrowed from Irish caoin-, verbal noun caoineadh "utter a cry of sorrow for, mourn, lament," going back to Old Irish coínid "(s/he) laments, bewails, deplores," perhaps borrowed from the British Celtic base of Welsh cwynaf, verbal noun cwyno "lament, bemoan, mourn" (Old Welsh cuinhaunt "[they] will bemoan"), Middle Breton queinyff "wail, groan"

NOTE: Vendryes et al., Lexique étymologique de l'irlandais ancien, suggest alternatively that the British Celtic forms go back to *cei-n-, with Old Irish ciid "cries, weeps, laments" representing *ci- (zero grade?) and its verbal noun coí continuing *coi-. There are no certain comparable forms outside Celtic.

probably derivative of keen entry 2 (or borrowed from its source, Irish caoin-)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a1845, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a1830, in the meaning defined above

Middle English kene brave, sharp, from Old English cēne brave; akin to Old High German kuoni braveborrowed from Irish caoin-, verbal noun caoineadh "utter a cry of sorrow for, mourn, lament," going back to Old Irish coínid "(s/he) laments, bewails, deplores," perhaps borrowed from the British Celtic base of Welsh cwynaf, verbal noun cwyno "lament, bemoan, mourn" (Old Welsh cuinhaunt "[they] will bemoan"), Middle Breton queinyff "wail, groan"

NOTE: Vendryes et al., Lexique étymologique de l'irlandais ancien, suggest alternatively that the British Celtic forms go back to *cei-n-, with Old Irish ciid "cries, weeps, laments" representing *ci- (zero grade?) and its verbal noun coí continuing *coi-. There are no certain comparable forms outside Celtic.

probably derivative of keen entry 2 (or borrowed from its source, Irish caoin-)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a1845, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a1830, in the meaning defined above

Middle English kene brave, sharp, from Old English cēne brave; akin to Old High German kuoni braveborrowed from Irish caoin-, verbal noun caoineadh "utter a cry of sorrow for, mourn, lament," going back to Old Irish coínid "(s/he) laments, bewails, deplores," perhaps borrowed from the British Celtic base of Welsh cwynaf, verbal noun cwyno "lament, bemoan, mourn" (Old Welsh cuinhaunt "[they] will bemoan"), Middle Breton queinyff "wail, groan"

NOTE: Vendryes et al., Lexique étymologique de l'irlandais ancien, suggest alternatively that the British Celtic forms go back to *cei-n-, with Old Irish ciid "cries, weeps, laments" representing *ci- (zero grade?) and its verbal noun coí continuing *coi-. There are no certain comparable forms outside Celtic.

probably derivative of keen entry 2 (or borrowed from its source, Irish caoin-)