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ken sb. (1 Bourne, 1574, says that a ken is 6 or 9 leagues; Leland, 1538, has ‘a Kenning, that is to say about a xx miles,’ Botoner, 15th cent., ‘quilibet kennyng continet 21 miliaria’)
1. the distance that bounds the range of ordinary vision, esp. at sea; about 20 miles 2H4 IV. i. 151 “within a ken our army lies,” Cym. III. vi. 6 “Thou wast with in a ken.”
2. sight or view (of a place) 2H6 III. ii. 113 “losing of Albion's wished coast,” Lucr. 1114 “in of shore.”
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  • Cross-references in text-specific dictionaries from this page (3):
    • William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, 3.6
    • William Shakespeare, The Second Part of Henry VI, 3.2
    • William Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece
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