Etymology Map
Back to all words

Cairn

2 stages from Scottish Gaelic to English.

Today it means a mound of stones built as a memorial or landmark

Where does the word "cairn" come from? It comes from Scottish Gaelic càrn, adopted directly into English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
càrn
Scottish Gaelic · medieval
"heap of stones"
a heap of stones; the Cairngorm mountains take their name from An Càrn Gorm, 'the blue cairn'
2
Stage 2 of 2
cairn
English · 1500s
"memorial or landmark stone heap"
used for prehistoric burial mounds like Orkney's chambered cairn of Maeshowe (c. 2800 BC); the Skye-bred Cairn terrier later played Toto in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Read the full story

Cairn’s story begins in Scottish Gaelic: càrn meant “heap of stones.” A heap of stones; the Cairngorm mountains take their name from An Càrn Gorm, 'the blue cairn'. It reached English by 1500s as cairn. Used for prehistoric burial mounds like Orkney's chambered cairn of Maeshowe (c. 2800 BC); the Skye-bred Cairn terrier later played Toto in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Today, cairn means a mound of stones built as a memorial or landmark.