bawn
Americannoun
-
a rocky stretch of foreshore on which caught fish are laid out to dry.
-
a patch of grassland or meadow near a dwelling.
Etymology
Origin of bawn
First recorded in 1530–40; Hiberno-English, from Irish bábhún (earlier spelling badhbhdhún, badhún ) “enclosure,” perhaps equivalent to ba, plural of bó “cow” + dún “fort”; see cow 1, town
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.
I was bawn on Marse Bennett's plantation near Louisville, Alabama.
From Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Volume I, Alabama Narratives by United States. Work Projects Administration
“Gra-ma-cree ma-cruiskeen, Slainte-geal ma-vour-neen, Gra-ma-cree a-coolin bawn, bawn, bawn, Oh!”
From Leerie by Ruth Sawyer
Exall may look lak one-half of a baby-elephant runnin' loose, but lemme tell you, suh, he ain't nobody's bawn fool.
From J. Poindexter, Colored by Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb
Yuh see, suh, I nebber did git much schoolin' down in Virginny, whah I was bawn an' brought up.
From Camp Fires of the Wolf Patrol by Alan Douglas
She brought her two little boys, Colvin and 'Lias, but Joe, dey pappy, didn't come—he was sole 'fo 'Lias was bawn.
From Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Volume I, Alabama Narratives by United States. Work Projects Administration
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
