ironside

[ ahy-ern-sahyd ]

/ ˈaɪ ərnˌsaɪd /

noun

a strong person with great power of endurance or resistance.

(initial capital letter) an epithet or nickname of Edmund II.

(initial capital letter) Usually Ironsides.

(used with a singular verb) a nickname of Oliver Cromwell.
the soldiers serving under Cromwell.

ironsides, (usually used with a singular verb)

an ironclad.
Eastern U.S. scup.

Nearby words

Origin of ironside

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at iron, side¹

Definition for ironside (2 of 2)

Edmund II

or Eadmund II

noun

Ironside, a.d. c980–1016, English king 1016: defeated by Canute.

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

Examples from the Web for ironside

Are you—are you being just kind to me, Mr. Ironside, like—like Hugh Chesyl?
The Safety Curtain, and Other Stories|Ethel M. Dell
A distinct chuckle came from Canute, and some murmur about the Ironside's chin.
The Ward of King Canute|Ottilie A. Liljencrantz
As he was led to the scaffold some base scullion called out to the brave old Ironside, Where is your good old cause now?
Haunted London|Walter Thornbury
He went to sea in a privateer under captain Ironside, his uncle, and changed his name to Lewson.
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1|The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D.

A few steps more, and the bushes had blotted out the Ironside and his thanes.
The Ward of King Canute|Ottilie A. Liljencrantz

British Dictionary definitions for ironside (1 of 2)

Ironside

/ (ˈaɪənˌsaɪd) /

noun

nickname of Edmund II of EnglandSee Edmund II

British Dictionary definitions for ironside (2 of 2)

Edmund II

noun

called Edmund Ironside. ?980–1016, king of England in 1016. His succession was contested by Canute and they divided the kingdom between them

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 ironside

Ironside

name given to a man of great hardihood or bravery, c.1300, first applied to Edmund II, king of England (d.1016), later also to Oliver Cromwell and his troops. Old Ironsides as a nickname of U.S.S. "Constitution" dates from that ship's defeat of H.M.S. "Guerriere" on Aug. 19, 1812, in the War of 1812.