cairn
Plural: cairns
Noun
- A mound of stones erected as a memorial or landmark.
- a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path
- small rough-haired breed of terrier from Scotland
- A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
- A pile of stones heaped up as a landmark, to guide travelers on land or at sea, or to arrest attention, as in surveying, or in leaving traces of an exploring party, etc.
- A cairn terrier.
Examples
- He built a cairn of high-scoring words, stacking them for a massive lead.
Origin / Etymology
From Scots cairn, from Scottish Gaelic càrn, from Old Irish carn, from Proto-Celtic *karnos, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (“horn”).
Compare Welsh carn, Cornish carn. Doublet of carn and horn.
Synonyms
cairn terrier, See burial mound § Synonyms
Scrabble Score: 7
cairn: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordcairn: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
cairn: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary
Words With Friends Score: 9
cairn: valid Words With Friends Word