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Kenning compound

Device
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A figurative Anglo-Saxon compound metaphor, typically hyphenated

Detailed Definition
A kenning compound is a metaphorical circumlocution from Old Norse and Anglo-Saxon poetry that replaces a noun with a descriptive phrase (e.g., “whale-road” for sea), compressing cultural knowledge and poetic ingenuity into a compact, evocative formula that enriches heroic verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Whale-road” for sea (Beowulf); “Battle-sweat” for blood (Old English poetry); “Sky-candle” for sun (Anglo-Saxon riddles); “Bone-house” for body (Beowulf); “Wave-steed” for ship (Scandinavian skaldic verse)
Additional Notes
A compound using kenning structure (metaphorical compound like 'whale-road' for sea). Norse and Anglo-Saxon device. Creates compressed metaphor. Essential to Old English poetry. Compare with simple compounds.
Also Known As
Kenning phrase Metaphoric compound Two-word figure Hyphenated image
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