Cairn
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /kɛən/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Cairn is a noun meaning A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
Meaning
A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
More Meanings
- A cairn terrier.
- 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.
Example Sentences
"Now here let us place the gray stone of her cairn: / Why speak ye no word!"—said Glenara the stern.
After fifteen minutes of this we were glad to reach a high saddle on which former travellers had piled little cairns of commemoration and thankfulness.
Word Forms
- cairns
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include monument, kern, memorial, cairngorum, cairngorm, cathair.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.