clachan

[ klah-khuh n, kla- ]

/ ˈklɑ xən, ˈklæ- /

noun Scot., Irish.

a small village or hamlet.

Nearby words

Origin of clachan

1375–1425; late Middle English (Scots) < Scots Gaelic, equivalent to clach stone + -an diminutive suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for clachan

And she bade us finish our meat, get clear of the clachan as soon as might be, and lie close in the bit wood on the sea beach.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 10 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
So we hasted along the way, keeping to the hills in order to reach the Clachan of St. John's town before the soldiers.
The Men of the Moss-Hags|S. R. Crockett
At the bend of the loch nearest the clachan he came upon an old woman carrying peat.
The Best Psychic Stories|Various
The fall of the wind still sighed in the bent rowan trees to the west of the clachan, where the pathway diverged from the shore.
Pharais and The Mountain Lovers|Fiona Macleod

These men were, he said, friends of the Chief and had come up on his assurance to meet him at the Clachan of Aberfoil.
Red Cap Tales|Samuel Rutherford Crockett

British Dictionary definitions for clachan

clachan

/ (Gaelic ˈklaxən, English ˈklæ-) /

noun

Scot and Irish dialect a small village; hamlet

Word Origin for clachan

C15: from Scottish Gaelic: probably from clach stone

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

Word Origin and History for clachan

clachan

"small village" (Scottish and Irish), early 15c., from Gaelic clach (plural clachan) "stone."