M0214300 (mĕng′kən), H(enry) L(ouis) 1880-1956. American editor and critic. A founder and editor (1924-1933) of the American Mercury, he also wrote The American Language (1919) and many socially critical essays, often directed toward the complacent middle class.Menck·e′ni·an(mĕng-kē′nē-ən) adj.