Word of the Day
Erin (AIR-in)
The ancient Gaelic name of Ireland
Common clues: Leprechauns' land; Emerald Isle; Ireland, in verse; "____ go bragh
Crossword puzzle frequency: 7 times a year
Frequency in English language: 38245 / 86800
News: Erin go bragh
Video: The Quiet Land of Erin
Also Eire (AIR-uh)
The Irish name of Ireland
Common clues: Land of the Leprechaun; Cork's land; Hibernia; Galway locale; Green land
Crossword puzzle frequency: 10 times a year
Frequency in English language: 44119 / 86800
Erin is an anglicization of Irish/Gaelic Éirinn, the dative case of Éire, the Irish word for "Peace". Nineteenth-century Irish nationalists also used Erin in English as a romantic name for Ireland, as shown in the catchphrase (when speaking of Ireland's experiences with Britain), "Let Erin Remember". According to Irish mythology and folklore, the name was given to the land by the Milesians after the goddess Ériu. Erin Go Bragh, often heard during St. Patrick's Day, means "Ireland Forever". The etymological history of the word as it drifted throughout the Gaelic region gave rise to its use by the early Scots to both mean "Ireland", as well as "West", as Ireland lay to the geographic west of Scotland.
The
modern Irish name of the country is Éire.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Erin".
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