Kenning
WordNet
noun
(1) Conventional metaphoric name for something, used especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry
WiktionaryText
Etymology
, from kenna ‘know, perceive’, from *kannian, causative of *kunnan ‘be able’. Compare can, ken, keen.
Noun
- A metaphorical phrase used in Germanic poetry (especially Old English or Old Norse) whereby a simple thing is described in an allusive way, such as ‘whale road’ for ‘sea’, or ‘enemy of the mast’ for ‘wind’.