cairn

[ kairn ]
See synonyms for cairn on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a heap of stones set up as a landmark, monument, tombstone, etc.

Origin of cairn

1
First recorded in 1525–35; earlier carn, from Scots Gaelic: “pile of stones”; perhaps akin to horn
  • Also carn [kahrn] /kɑrn/ .

Other words from cairn

  • cairned, adjective
  • cairny, adjective

Words Nearby cairn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cairn in a sentence

  • My experience was such by this time that I saw at a glance this cairn was not the work of a native.

  • We can go no further till we find an unrifled cairn burial answering to Homeric descriptions.

    Homer and His Age | Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for cairn

cairn

/ (kɛən) /


noun
  1. a mound of stones erected as a memorial or marker

  2. Also called: cairn terrier a small rough-haired breed of terrier originally from Scotland

Origin of cairn

1
C15: from Gaelic carn

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