Its meaning soon broadened, however, to mean “range of vision” or “sight” on land or sea. See examples of ken used in a sentence. An idea beyond one's ken Range of sight or vision. In this context, the phrase is infelicitous ' beyond one's ken ', in its ordinary usage, means beyond one's powers of comprehension.
In common usage a fossil word, found only in phrases such as beyond one’s ken and swim into one’s ken. Ken in american english (ken) noun a male given name, form of kendall or kenneth There are six meanings listed in oed's entry for the noun ken, two of which are labelled obsolete See ‘meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. Explore the slang meaning of 'ken', its historical roots, and how it's used in contemporary communication Understand its impact, statistics, and cultural significance in today's linguistic landscape.