rowan
UK /ˈɹəʊ.ən/ · US /ˈɹoʊ.ən/ noun, proper noun
Forms rowans roan
- noun Sorbus aucuparia, the European rowan.
- noun Any of various small deciduous trees or shrubs of genus Sorbus, belonging to the rose family, with pinnate leaves, corymbs of white flowers, and usually with orange-red berries.
- noun (obsolete) wych-elm, Ulmus glabra.
- proper noun A surname from Irish.
- proper noun A male given name from Irish.
- proper noun A unisex given name from English of modern usage, often associated with the rowan tree.
- proper noun A locality in the Wagga Wagga council area, southern New South Wales, Australia.
- proper noun One of 120 counties in Kentucky, United States. County seat: Morehead. Rowan County.
- proper noun One of 100 counties in North Carolina, United States. County seat: Salisbury. Rowan County.
Synonyms
mountain ash quickbeam wicken wicky rowan tree European mountain ash Sorbus aucuparia
Etymology
Originally Scots and northern English, from Middle English ron, rone, compare also Northern English raan, ran. At first referring to its fruits, of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse reynir.
Also related to Norwegian Bokmål rogn, Danish røn. Ultimately related to the root of red.
Anglicised from the Irish saints' name Ruadhán (“little red one”), or as a surname from Ó Ruadháin (“descendant of Ruadhán”).
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “rowan”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details