cairn
Americannoun
noun
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a mound of stones erected as a memorial or marker
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Also called: cairn terrier. a small rough-haired breed of terrier originally from Scotland
Usage
What does cairn mean? A cairn is a pile of stones set up as a marker, monument, or memorial of some kind.Cairns are sometimes used to mark points along hiking trails. This usually takes the form of a small pile of rocks or several stones stacked on top of each other.The word cairn is also used in the context of archaeology, in which it usually refers to a large pile of stones that marks some kind of significant site, often a burial site. Such cairns were sometimes used in areas with rocky soil not suitable for traditional burial.Example: The cairn at the summit of the trail has continued to grow as hikers have added rocks to it.
Other Word Forms
- cairned adjective
- cairny adjective
Etymology
Origin of cairn
First recorded in 1525–35; earlier carn, from Scots Gaelic: “pile of stones”; perhaps akin to horn
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.
One person would stay at the first cairn while another would try to locate the next cairn.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 2024
In the video, a wilderness restoration ranger gently shoves over a cairn, which appears to be several feet high.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2023
Mr Cassie was involved in the construction of a Jubilee cairn in Ballater featuring 60 stones from 30 hills.
From BBC • Sep. 9, 2022
I’ve been there myself, digging as deep as I could into the long and honorable history of my cairn terriers and Pomeranians.
From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2021
I let her go into the cairn first.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
