claddagh
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of claddagh
First recorded in 1880–85; named after Claddagh, a fishing village near Galway, Ireland, where the ring was supposedly first designed and made
Explanation
A claddagh is a traditional Irish symbol representing love, loyalty, and friendship. The design of a claddagh consists of two hands holding a crowned heart. The heart of the claddagh represents love; the crown represent loyalty; and the hands represent friendship. The design is most commonly seen in jewelry, especially rings used to represent romantic relationships. The way a person wears the ring — including on which hand and finger and in what direction (inward or outward) the heart is facing — indicates the person's relationship status. The claddagh design comes from an old fishing village, Claddagh, just outside of Galway. It dates back to the 1600s.
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.
Named after the small fishing village opposite Galway city, the Claddagh ring depicts two hands clasping a crowned heart.
From National Geographic • Jan. 11, 2024
As the chairperson of the Republic of Ireland Supporters Club in London, he's preparing for the organisation's AGM taking place on Friday night in Hendon's Claddagh Ring pub.
From BBC • Sep. 18, 2022
Claddagh ring: This piece of jewelry has come to symbolize Ireland.
From New York Times • Jul. 6, 2022
Bulger's coveted rat-shaped pencil holder sold for $3,600, while his gold diamond Claddagh ring fetched the highest price of the auction at $23,000.
From US News • Jun. 26, 2016
It has a community of fishermen at Claddagh, but the fisheries of the bay are neglected.
From Men of Invention and Industry by Smiles, Samuel
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.
