spalpeen

[ spal-peen, spal-peen ]
/ spælˈpin, ˈspæl pin /

noun Irish English.

a lad or boy.
a rascal; scamp.

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Origin of spalpeen

1770–80; < Irish spailpín seasonal hired laborer, rude person, scamp, equivalent to spailp spell, bout, turn + -ín noun suffix

Words nearby spalpeen

spalding, spall, spallanzani, spallation, spallation product, spalpeen, spam, spambot, spammie, spamming, span
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Example sentences from the Web for spalpeen

British Dictionary definitions for spalpeen

spalpeen
/ (ˈspælpiːn) /

noun Irish

an itinerant seasonal labourer
a rascal or layabout

Word Origin for spalpeen

C18: from Irish Gaelic spailpín itinerant labourer
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