adj. 1 enthusiastic, eager. 2 (foil. by on) enthusiastic about, fond of. 3 (of the senses) sharp. 4 intellectually acute. 5 (of a knife etc.) sharp. 6 (of a sound, light, etc.) penetrating, vivid. 7 (of a wind etc.) piercingly cold. 8 (of a pain etc.) acute. 9 (of a price) competitive. keenly adv. keenness n. [Old English] keen’n. Irish wailing funeral song.v. (often foil. by over for) wail mournfully, esp. at a funeral. [Irish caoine from caoinim wail]
