cairn

noun

: a heap of stones piled up as a memorial or as a landmark
cairned adjective

Examples of cairn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ranger died in 1940 and was buried at the summit of Mount Hood, which is marked by a stone cairn and an engraved plaque. Meira Gebel, Axios, 20 Sep. 2024 The trail can be confusing so keep an eye open for cairns and tree notches serving as trail markers. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 18 Sep. 2024 China’s vast coal mountain looks like just such a cairn, to mark a peak our planet’s climate will be glad to see the back of. David Fickling, Twin Cities, 11 Sep. 2024 Most of what remains of the historic General Crook Trail are eroding two tracks, toppled rock cairns, tree blazes, a few telegraph insulators and roadside monuments. Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cairn 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cairn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English (Scots) carne, from Scottish Gaelic carn; akin to Old Irish & Welsh carn cairn

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cairn was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near cairn

Cite this Entry

“Cairn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cairn. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

cairn

noun
ˈka(ə)rn How to pronounce cairn (audio)
ˈke(ə)rn
: a heap of stones piled up as a landmark or as a memorial

More from Merriam-Webster on cairn

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