
keen� | keen�: adj. 1 enthusiastic, avid, zealous, devoted, ardent, fervent, fervid, earnest, impassioned, passionate, intense, active; agog, eager, itching, anxious: They are keen fans of TV soap operas. I was keen to go swimming. 2 sharp, sharpened, razor-sharp, razor-like, knife-edged; trenchant, incisive, cutting, rapier-like, pointed, mordant, acid, vitriolic, acerbic, astringent, biting, acrid, acrimonious, stinging, scorching, caustic, searing, withering, virulent, pungent, sarcastic, sardonic: This axe is very keen, so be careful. With his keen wit, the playwright answered his severest critics. His play is a keen satire on the government. 3 painful, bitter, acute, poignant, fierce, grievous, severe, distressing, distressful, strong, deep, profound, intense, extreme, heartfelt: She felt keen resentment at the way she had been treated. 4 vivid, detailed, specific, unmistaken, unmistakable or unmistakeable, distinct: He has a keen recollection of seeing the suspect on the bus. 5 sharp, acute, sensitive, penetrating, discriminating, fine: The bloodhound has an extremely keen sense of smell. 6 intelligent, sharp, acute, perceptive, perspicacious, percipient, sensitive, discerning, astute, smart, bright, discriminating, discriminative, quick(-witted), shrewd, clever, canny, cunning, crafty, wise: Philip has a keen understanding of what is required of him. 7 keen on or about. fond of, enamoured of, devoted to, interested in: Alan is almost as keen on Mary as on his stamp collection.
keen� | keen�: v. 1 weep, wail, moan, lament, mourn, grieve; bewail, bemoan: Finnegan''s widow still keens over him. --n. 2 dirge, elegy, knell, lament, lamentation, Requiem, monody, threnody, thanatopsis, epicedium , Scots and Irish coronach: The keens could be heard throughout the neighbourhood.
keep | keep: v. 1 retain, hold, hang on to, preserve, conserve, have, save, maintain, control: The difficulty is not in making money but in keeping it. 2 hold, have, take care or charge of, mind, tend, care for, look after, guard, keep an eye on, watch over, protect, safeguard; maintain, feed, nourish, victual, board, nurture, provide for, provision: Would you keep this parcel for me until I return? They keep chickens and ducks. 3 accumulate, save (up), amass, hoard (up), husband, retain, preserve, put or stow away: My brother has kept all the toys he ever had. 4 maintain, store, preserve: I keep woollen things in a cedar chest. 5 Often, keep on or at. continue, carry on, persist (in), persevere (in); prolong, sustain: How did you keep going after Elsa''s death? She kept at it all night long. Keep on working till I tell you to stop. 6 keep to, abide by, follow, obey, mind, adhere to, attend to, pay attention to, heed, regard, observe, respect, acknowledge, defer to, accede (to), agree (to): Only a stickler would keep the letter of such a law. 7 stay, remain: Keep off the grass. Keep to the left. 8 support, finance, provide for, subsidize, maintain: He kept a mistress in Chelsea. 9 confine, detain; imprison, incarcerate, jail or Brit also gaol: The police have kept him overnight. 10 celebrate, observe, solemnize, memorialize, commemorate: We always kept Easter at my mother''s house in the country. 11 last, be preserved, survive, stand up, stay fresh: Eggs keep longer in the refrigerator. 12 harbour, maintain, safeguard, keep dark: Can you keep a secret? 13 keep from. prevent, keep or hold back, restrain, (hold in) check, restrict, prohibit, forbid, inhibit, disallow, block, obstruct, deny, curb, deter, discourage: How can I keep my plants from dying while I''m away? 14 keep in. a keep or hold back, repress, suppress, stifle, smother, muzzle, bottle up, withhold, conceal, hide, shroud, mask, camouflage: She keeps in her true feelings. He could hardly keep in the tears. b confine, shut in or up, coop up, detain; fence in: Keith thought the teacher kept him in after school because she liked him. --n. 15 upkeep, maintenance, support, room and board, subsistence, food, sustenance, living: He works hard to earn his keep. 16 donjon, tower, dungeon: He was imprisoned in the keep of the castle for twenty years.
keeper | keeper: n. custodian, guardian, guard, warden, caretaker; warder, nurse, attendant, Brit minder: The keepers are very strict about not letting people feed the animals. How come they let you out without your keeper?
keepsake | keepsake: n. memento, souvenir, token, reminder, remembrance, relic: The locket is a keepsake from those happy days in Antibes.
keg | keg: n. cask, barrel, butt, hogshead, tun, puncheon: We bought a keg of beer for the party.
kernel | kernel: n. 1 grain, seed, pip, stone; nut, meat, US nut-meat: Try to extract the walnut kernel without breaking it. 2 centre, core, nucleus, heart, essence, quintessence, substance, gist, pith, nub, quiddity: Let''s get down to the kernel of the problem.
key | key: n. 1 latchkey, skeleton key, passkey, opener: Have you lost your car keys again? You will need a key to open the air valve on the radiator. 2 clue, cue, guide, indication, indicator, explanation: The key to his behaviour can probably be found in the way his mother treated him in his childhood. 3 pitch, tone, timbre, level, tonality, frequency: The song was originally written in the key of C. 4 legend, explanation, description, explication, clarification, translation: A key to the symbols appears on every other page. 5 mood, tenor, tone, humour, style: In this passage there is a change to a more sombre key. --adj. 6 important, essential, vital, necessary, crucial, critical, main, pivotal: Automatic reversal is a key feature of this cassette player. Roderick is a key man in the company.
keystone | keystone: n. necessity, crux, linchpin, basis, principle, foundation, cornerstone: Predestination was the keystone of his religion.
