DCHP-2

keener DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — informal, slightly derogatory, usually Education

  an individual who is overly eager or enthusiastic.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — The term has evolved in Canadian English from the adjective meaning "eager" and shifted word classes to a noun that refers to someone who is perceived as overly enthusiastic. The term usually carries slight negative connotations. This meaning is most common in Canada (see Chart 1).
  See also Gage-5, s.v. "keener", which is unmarked, OED-3, s.v. "keen" (6b & 7b) and s.v. "keener" (n.2), the latter marked as "Canad. colloq.", COD-2, which marks the term "Cdn informal".

  See also: browner  

  • Keener is a role in the Irish funeral tradition; our search (Chart 1) filtered out this unrelated meaning.