Kilkenny

[kil-ken-ee]

noun

a county in Leinster, in the SE Republic of Ireland. 796 sq. mi. (2060 sq. km).

its county seat.

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

Examples from the Web for kilkenny

Contemporary Examples of kilkenny

The couple were spotted walking around the city of Kilkenny yesterday.
Kanye and Kim's Irish Honeymoon Hideaway
Tom Sykes
May 30, 2014
He recalled the impact he felt as a child from rural Kilkenny when visiting Northern Ireland in 1980s during the Troubles.
Seeing War Vividly: Richard Mosse Stars at the Venice Biennale
Amelia Martyn-Hemphill
June 3, 2013

Historical Examples of kilkenny

I want to show you a note I have just had from Kinshela, in Kilkenny.
Barrington
Charles James Lever
He got a letter by the post, and set out half an hour after for Kilkenny.
Barrington
Charles James Lever
Do you remember Billy Calvert, that came down to contest Kilkenny?
Charles O'Malley, The Irish Dragoon, Volume 1 (of 2)
Charles Lever
But as for us: there we were; if not in Kilkenny we were in Cork.
Charles O'Malley, The Irish Dragoon, Volume 2 (of 2)
Charles Lever
This is a very near approximation to the story of the Kilkenny cats.
Langstroth on the Hive and the Honey-Bee
L. L. Langstroth

British Dictionary definitions for kilkenny

Kilkenny

noun

a county of SE Republic of Ireland, in Leinster province: mostly agricultural. County town: Kilkenny. Pop: 80 339 (2002). Area: 2062 sq km (796 sq miles)

a market town in SE Republic of Ireland, county town of Co Kilkenny: capital of the ancient kingdom of Ossory. Pop: 9500 (latest est)

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 kilkenny

Kilkenny

county in Leinster, Ireland. The county is named for its town, from Irish Cill Chainnigh "Church of (St.) Kenneth." The story of the Kilkenny cats, a pair of which fought until only their tails were left, is attested from 1807.