a form of periphrasis in which a metaphor is substituted for a simple term

an old measure of volume in the Imperial system , equal to two pecks or half of one bushel

a poetic compound, sometimes puzzling, that substitutes for a simpler noun

a poetic figure of speech in which a person or object is referred to by describing it in terms of another person or object

a poetic way of describing something that tells you what it is, but does not tell you the name for the thing you are describing

A trope or figure of speech characteristic of Old English diction in which two separate words are put together to form a single concept: "whale-road" for sea, for example, or "earth-vault" for underground cavern, or "oar-steed" for ship.

A periphrastic compound whereby two or more nouns are used to replace another noun e.g. 'oar-steed' for ship or 'whale-road' for sea. Kenning was commonly used in Old English or Old Norse verse and is often metonymic in character.

In literature, a kenning is a compound poetic phrase, a figure of speech, substituted for the usual name of a person or thing. Kennings work in much the same way as epithets and verbal formulae, and were commonly inserted into Old English poetic lines.