unken

See also: Unken

English

Etymology 1

Back-formation from unkenned, equivalent to un- +‎ ken.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʌnˈkɛn/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Verb

unken (third-person singular simple present unkens, present participle unkenning, simple past and past participle unkenned)

  1. (chiefly Scotland) To not know, fail to recognise, be ignorant of.

Etymology 2

From German Unke.

Pronunciation

Adjective

unken (not comparable)

  1. Only used in unken reflex.

German

Etymology

Unke +‎ -en

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʊŋkən/, [ˈʊŋkn̩], [ˈʊŋkŋ̍]
  • Audio:(file)

Verb

unken (weak, third-person singular present unkt, past tense unkte, past participle geunkt, auxiliary haben)

  1. to prophesy doom
    Synonyms: menetekeln, schwarzmalen
    • 2022 April 2, Klaus Walter, “Techno und Rauschzustände”, in Die Tageszeitung: taz[1], →ISSN, page 19:
      Viele hatten schon nicht mehr dran geglaubt. Und wer weiß, vielleicht kommt doch noch was dazwischen, wird hier und da geunkt.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Conjugation

Further reading

  • unken” in Duden online
  • unken” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

North Frisian

Pronoun

unken

  1. plural of unk (ours, that of us two)

Sumerian

Romanization

unken

  1. romanization of 𒌺 (unken)

Swedish

Etymology

Uncertain. Proposals have been made connecting it with Proto-Indo-European *wegʷ- (wet; moist) (and thus Ancient Greek ὑγρός (hugrós) and Latin ūvidus), or with the Proto-Indo-European root behind Ancient Greek ἀδήν (adḗn) and Latin inguen.

Adjective

unken (comparative unknare, superlative unknast)

  1. musty, fusty, stale

Declension

Inflection of unken
Indefinite positive comparative superlative1
common singular unken unknare unknast
neuter singular unket unknare unknast
plural unkna unknare unknast
masculine plural2 unkne unknare unknast
Definite positive comparative superlative
masculine singular3 unkne unknare unknaste
all unkna unknare unknaste

1 The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative.
2 Dated or archaic.
3 Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

Derived terms

References