colleen

[ kol-een, ko-leen ]

/ ˈkɒl in, kɒˈlin /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR colleen ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an Irish girl.

Nearby words

Origin of colleen

1820–30; < Irish cailín, equivalent to caile girl, wench + -ín diminutive suffix

Definition for colleen (2 of 2)

Colleen

[ kol-een, ko-leen ]

/ ˈkɒl in, kɒˈlin /

noun

a female given name: from an Irish word meaning “girl.”

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

Examples from the Web for colleen

No one can understand how you feel when you visit Colleen and the kids.
Beast Fiction: They Killed Our Brothers|J.F. Quinn|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His wife, Colleen, had been rinsing plates at the sink and putting them in the dishwasher.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Since then Colleen Howe hasn't missed more than four or five home games.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“They tell me the buses don't run here after 4:30,” Colleen said to him.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Colleen Mathis, an Independent, was later reinstated by judicial order.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on Mystery Trip, Reportedly to Afghanistan|Terry Greene Sterling|December 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Nothin's asier; you have only to spake out; besides it's your business, bein' the colleen's father.
Fardorougha, The Miser|William Carleton
The novel has no concern with college life, and is far better described by its stage-title, The Colleen Bawn.
Irish Books and Irish People|Stephen Gwynn
But what became of that Irish colleen you used to moon over?
The House of a Thousand Candles|Meredith Nicholson
Meeting me she asked me about our passage home on the Colleen Bawn, and I told her of it.
The Seiners|James B. (James Brendan) Connolly
Why, then, you're right, colleen; but it's a job I don't fancy.
Light O' The Morning|L. T. Meade

British Dictionary definitions for colleen

colleen

/ (ˈkɒliːn, kɒˈliːn) /

noun

an Irish word for girl

an Irish girl

Word Origin for colleen

C19: from Irish Gaelic cailín a girl, a young unmarried woman

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 colleen

Colleen

fem. proper name, from Irish cailin "girl," diminutive of caile "girl, woman."

colleen

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of colleen

Definition for colleen (2 of 2)

Colleen

noun

Examples from the Web for colleen

British Dictionary definitions for colleen

colleen

noun

Word Origin for colleen

Word Origin and History for colleen

Colleen