KEE
K E E
KEE
Here is my keen-edged sword,
Deck’d with line 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 keeu-edg’d within his right he held,The warlike emblem of the conquer’d field. Dryd.
2. Severe; piercing.
The winds
Blow' moist, and keen, shattering the graceful locksOf these fair spreading trees ; which bids us seekSome better shroud. Mifton’s Par* Lost.
The cold was very supportable ;but as it changedto the northwest, or north, it became excessivelykeen. Ellis’s Voyage.
3. Eager; vehement.
Never did I know
A creature, that did bear the shape of man,
So keen and greedy to confound a man. Shakesp.
Keen dispatch of real hunger. Milton
The sheep were so keen upon the acorns, thatthey gobbled up a piece of the coat. L’Estrange.
Those curs are so extremely hungry, that theyare too keen at the sport, and worry their game.
Tatler.
This was a prospect so very inviting, that itcould not be easily withstood by any who have sokeen an appetite for wealth. Swift.
4. 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 askeen against Ireland , as if they had never been in-debted to her. Swift.
To Keen. v. a. [from the adjective.] Tosharpen. An unauthorised word.
Nor when cold Winter keens the brighteningflood,
Would I weak shivering linger on the brink.
Thomson.
Ke'enly. adv. [from item.] Sharply;
vehemently; eagerly; bitterly.Ke'enness. n.s. [from keen.]
1. Sharpness; edge.
No, not the hangman’s ax bears half the keennessOf thy sharp envy. Shakesp. Merck , of Venice.
2. Rigour of weather; piercing cold.
3. Asperity; bitterness of mind.
That they might keep up the keenness againstthe court, his lordship furnished them with infor-mations, to the king’s disadvantage. Clarendon.
The sting of every reproachful speech is thetruth of it; and to be conscious is that which givesan edge, and keenness to the invective. South.
4. Eagerness; vehemence.
To Keep. v. a . [cepan, Sax. kepen , oldDut.]
1. To retain ; not to lose.
I kept the field with the death of some, andflight of others. Sidney.
AVe have examples in the primitive church ofsuch as by fear being compelled to sacrifice tostrange gods, repented, and kept still the office ofpreaching the gospel. Whitgifte.
Keep in memory what I preached unto you.
1 Connthians.
This charge I keep till my appointed dayOf rend’ring up. Milton.
His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal. Milton.
You have lost a child ; but you have kept onechild, and are likelv to do so long. Temple.
If we would weigh, and keep in our minds,what we are considering, that would instruct uswhen we should, or should not, branch into dis-tinctions. Locke.
2. To have in custody.
The crown of Stepiianus, first king of Hungary ,was always kept in the castle of Vicegrade.
Knolles.
She kept the fatal key. Milton.
3. To preserve; not to let go.
The Lord God merciful and gracious, keepingmercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity.
Exod. xxxiv. 7.
I spared it greatly, and have kept me a grape ofthe cluster, and a plant of a great people
2 Esdr. ix. 21.
4. To preserve in a state of security.
We passed by where the duke keeps his gallies.
Addison.
5. To protect; to guard.
Behold I am with thee to keep thee. Gen. xxviii.
6. To restrain from flight.
Paul dwelt with a soldier that kept him.
Acts, xxviii.
7. To detain, to hold as a motive.
But what’s the cause that keeps you herewith me?—That I may know what keeps me here with you.
Dryden.
3. To hold for another.
A man delivers money or stuff to keep.
Exod. xxii. 7.
Reserv’d from night, and kept for thee in store.
Milton.
i). To tend; to have care of.
God put him in the garden of Eden to keep, it.
Gen. li. 15.
While in her girlish age she kept sheep on themoor, it chanced that a merchant saw and likedher. Carew.
Count it thine
To till and keep, and of the fruit to eat. Milton.
10. To preserve in the same tenour orstate.
To know the true state, I will keep this order.
Take this at least, this last advice, my son,
Keep a stiff rein, and move but gently on :
• The coursers of themselves will run too fast,
Your art must be to moderate their haste, Addison.
11. To regard; to attend.
While the stars and course of heav’n 1 keep,
My weary’d eyes were seiz’d with fatal sleep.
Diyden.
12. To not suffer to fail.
My mercy will I keep for him for ever.
Psalm lxxxix.
13. To hold in any state.
Ingenuous shame, and the apprehensions ofdispleasure, are the only true restraints: thesealone ought to hold the reins, and keep the childin order. Locke on Education.
Men are guilty of many faults in the exerciseof this faculty of the mind, which keep them inignorance. Locke.
Happy souls! who keep such a sacred dominionover their inferior and animal powers, that thesensitive tumults never rise to disturb the supe-rior and better operations of the reasoning mind.
Watts.
14. To retain by some degree of force inany place or state. It is often followedin this sense by particles; as, down ,under, in, off.
This wickedness is found by thee; no gooddeeds of mine have been able to keep it down inthee. Sidney.
It Us hardly to be thought that any governorshould so much malign his successor, as to sufferan evil to grow up which he might timely havekept under; or perhaps nourish it with colouredcountenance of such sinister means. Spenser.
What! old acquaintance! could not all this fleshKeep in a little life ? Poor Jack, farew^l. Shakesp.
Venus took the guard of noble Hector’s corse,And kept the dogs off: night and day applying
sovereign force
Of rosy balms, that to the dogs were horrible intaste. Chapmans Iliad .
The Chinese sail where they'will; whichsheweth that their law of keeping out strangers isa law of pusillanimity and fear. Bacon .
And those that cannot live from him asunder,Ungratefully shall strive to keep him under .
65 ‘ Milton.
If any ask me what would satisfy#
To make life easy, thus I would reply:
As much as keeps out hunger, thirst, and cold.
Dryden.
Matters, recommended by our passions, takepossession of our minds, and will not be kept out.
Locke
Prohibited commodities should be kept out, anduseless ones impoverish us by being brought in.
Locke .
An officer with one of these unbecoming qua-lities, is looked upon as a proper person to keepoffim pertinence and solicitation from his superior.
Addison’s Spectator.
A iid if two boots keep out the weather,
What need you have two hides of leather ? Prior,
We have it in our power to keep in our breaths,and to suspend the efficacy of this natural func-tion. Cheyne.
15. To continue any state or action.
Men gave ear, waited, and kept silence at mycounsel. Job, xxix. 21.
Auria made no stay, but stilt kept on his course.
Knolles.
It was then such a calm, that the ships werenot able to keep way with the gallies. Knolles.
The moon that distance keeps till night. Milton.
An heap of ants, on a hillock will more easily bekept to an uniformity in motion than these.
Glanville’s Scepsis .
He dy’d in fight:
Fought next my person; as in consort fought:Kept pace for pace, and blow for blow. Dryden.
He, being come to the estate, keeps on a verybusy family; the markets are weekly frequented,and the commodities of his farm carried out andsold. ^ Locke.
Invading foes, without resistance,
With ease I make to keep their distance. Swift.
16. To preserve in any state.
My son, keep the flower of thine age sound.
Eccles. xxvi.
17. To practise; to use habitually.
I rule the family very ill, and keep bad hours.
Pope.
18. To copy carefully.
Her servants eyes were fix’d upon her face,
And as she mov’d or turn’d, her motions view’d,Her measures kept, and step by step pursu’d.
Dryden.
1 0. To observe or solemnize any time.
This shall be for a memorial; and you shallkeep it a feast to the Lord. Exod. xii. 14.
That day was not ill silence holy kept. Milton .
20. To observe; not to violate.
It cannot be,
The king should keep his word in loving us ;
He will suspect us still, and find a timeTo punish this offence in other faults. Shakesp .
Sworn for three years term to live with me,
My fellow scholars ; and to keep those statutesThat are recorded in this schedule here. Shakesp.
Lord God, there is none like thee: who keepestcovenant and mercy with thy servants.
1 Kings, viii. 23.Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant thatthou promisedst him. 1 Kings, viii. 25.
Obey and keep his great command. Milton.His promise Palamon accepts ; but pray’dTo keep it better than the first he made, j Dryden.
My debtors do not keep their day,
Deny their hands ar.d then refuse to pay. Dryden.My wishes are,
'That Ptolemy may keep his royal word. Dryden.21. To maintain; to support with neces-saries of life.
Much more affliction than already feltThey cannot well impose, nor I sustain,
If they intend advantage of my labours,
The work of many hands, which earns my keeping.
22. To have in the house.
Base tyke, call’st thou me host ? I scorn theterm: nor shall my Nell keep lodgers. Shak. H. V.
23. Not to intermit.
Keep a sure watch over a shameless daughter,lest she make thee a laughing-stock to thine ene-mies, and a bye-word in the city. Eccles. xli. 11.
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