Orkney

British

/ ˈɔːknɪ, ˈɔːknɪz /

plural noun

a group of over 70 islands off the N coast of Scotland, separated from the mainland by the Pentland Firth: constitutes an island authority of Scotland; low-lying and treeless; many important prehistoric remains. Administrative centre: Kirkwall. Pop: 19 310 (2003 est). Area: 974 sq km (376 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A supermarket in Orkney has given away about 38,000 bananas - almost double the entire population of the islands - in just three days after accidentally ordering them.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

It is not the first time there has been an order blunder in Orkney in recent years.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

A supermarket in Orkney has been giving away bananas after accidentally ordering an estimated 38,000 of them - almost double the entire population of the islands.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

That led to a fundraising campaign raising money for charity - but with a shorter shelf life, the Orkney banana glut will require a swifter solution.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

The two were standing in the cloisters of the Orkney palace at Camdot, looking out at the hawks who sat beneath the sun, on their blocks in the green courtyard.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023