bairn

English

Etymology

From Middle English barn, bern, from Old English (Anglian dialect) bearn (“child, son, descendant, offspring, issue, prodigy”) and Old Norse barn (“child”), both from Proto-Germanic *barnan (“child”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, bring forth”). Cognate with West Frisian bern (“child”), North Frisian baern, born (“child”), Middle High German barn (“child, son, daughter”), Swedish barn (“child”), Icelandic barn (“child”). See also barn.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɛːn/

Noun

bairn (plural bairns)

1. (Scotland, and parts of Northern England) A child or baby.

References

• The New Geordie Dictionary, Frank Graham, 1987, ISBN 0946928118
• Newcastle 1970s, Scott Dobson and Dick Irwin, [1]
• Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893-4[2]
• Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977[3]
• A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, ISBN 1904794165
• “bairn” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001
• bairn in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

• abrin
• brain
• Brian

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Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA: [be:rn], [bɛrn]

Noun

bairn (plural bairns)

1. child

Derived terms

• bairnie
• grandbairn
• stap-bairn

Verb

tae bairn (third-person singular simple present bairns, present participle bairnin, simple past bairnt, past participle bairnt)

1. to make pregnant