Nearby words
Origin of erne
before 1000; Middle English ern, arn, Old English earn; cognate with Old High German arn (German Aar), Middle Low German arn(e); akin to Lithuanian erẽlis eagle, Greek órnīs bird
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British Dictionary definitions for erns (1 of 2)
Word Origin for erne
Old English earn; related to Old Norse örn eagle, Old High German aro eagle, Greek ornis bird
British Dictionary definitions for erns (2 of 2)
Erne
/ (ɜːn) /
noun
a river in N central Republic of Ireland, rising in County Cavan and flowing north across the border, through Upper Lough Erne and Lower Lough Erne and then west to Donegal Bay. Length: about 96 km (60 miles)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for erns
erne
"sea eagle," from Old English earn "eagle," a common Germanic word (cf. Old High German arn, German Aar, Middle Dutch arent, Old Norse örn, Gothic ara "eagle"), from PIE root *or- "great bird, eagle" (cf. Greek ornis "bird," Old Church Slavonic orilu, Lithuanian erelis, Welsh eryr "eagle"). The Germanic word also survives in the first element of old Germanic names such as Arnold and Arthur.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper