Emily Dickinson Lexicon

KEEN'NESS, n.

1. Eagerness; vehemence; as, the keenness of hunger.
2. Sharpness; fineness of edge; as, the keenness of a razor.
3. The quality of piercing; rigor; sharpness; as, the keenness of the air or of cold.
4. Asperity; acrimony; bitterness; as, the keenness of satire, invective or sarcasm.
5. Acuteness; sharpness; as, the keenness of wit.