sporran

[ spor-uhn ]

noun

(in Scottish Highland costume) a large pouch for men, commonly of fur, worn, suspended from a belt, in front of the kilt.

Origin of sporran

1745–55; <Scots Gaelic sporan; compare Irish sparán purse

Words Nearby sporran

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sporran in a sentence

sporran, spor′an, n. an ornamental pouch worn in front of the kilt by the Highlanders of Scotland.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) | Various
He was dressed in a kilt and small deerskin sporran, with the regulation heavy stockings, tweed jacket and Eton collar.
The Nest Builder | Beatrice Forbes-Robertson Hale
(b) The king's sporran, where Hathor-heads (h) take the place of the cowries of the primitive girdle.
The Evolution of the Dragon | G. Elliot Smith
There were my tartans, my cursed feathers, my tiger-skin sporran, upon the sofa.
The Fitz-Boodle Papers | William Makepeace Thackeray
This must be the sporran following us close with grim disregard of danger.
The Mystery of the Sea | Bram Stoker

British Dictionary definitions for sporran

sporran

/ (ˈspɒrən) /

noun

a large pouch, usually of fur, worn hanging from a belt in front of the kilt in men's Scottish Highland dress

Origin of sporran

C19: from Scottish Gaelic sporan purse; compare Irish Gaelic sparán purse, Late Latin bursa bag

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

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