cairn

== English == === 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. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /kɛən/ (General American) IPA(key): /kɛ(ə)ɹn/ (General Australian) IPA(key): /keːn/ (New Zealand, without the cheer–chair merger) IPA(key): /keən/ (New Zealand, cheer–chair merger) IPA(key): /kiən/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /keɹn/ (Lancashire, fair–fur merger) IPA(key): /kɜː(ɹ)n/ Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)n === Noun === cairn (plural cairns) A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument. Synonym: See burial mound § Synonyms 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. Hypernym: marker A cairn terrier. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === “cairn”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. “cairn”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN. === Anagrams === Nicar., naric, NICRA, racin', Crain, Rican, CARIN, incar == French == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /kɛʁn/ === Noun === cairn m (plural cairns) cairn === Further reading === “cairn”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Irish == === Pronunciation === (Munster, Connacht) IPA(key): /kɑːɾˠn̠ʲ/ (Ulster) IPA(key): /kaːɾˠn̠ʲ/ === Noun === cairn inflection of carn: vocative/genitive singular nominative/dative plural === Mutation === === References ===