cairn
UK /kɛən/ · US /kɛ(ə)ɹn/ noun
Forms cairns
- noun A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
- noun A pile of stones heaped up as a landmark, to guide travelers on land or at sea, or to arrest attention, as in surveying, or in leaving traces of an exploring party, etc.
- noun A cairn terrier.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Scots cairn, from Scottish Gaelic càrn, from Old Irish carn, from Proto-Celtic *karnos, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (“horn”).
Compare Welsh carn, Cornish carn. Doublet of carn and horn.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
- noun A pile of stones heaped up as a landmark, or to arrest attention, as in surveying, or in leaving traces of an exploring party, etc. C. Kingsley. Kane.
Etymology [Gael. carn, gen. cairn, a heap: cf. Ir. & W. carn.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cairn”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details