bairn

C2+ Topic:Register & Style

US /bɛrn/ UK /bɛən/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a child (chiefly Scottish and northern English)

The wee bairn slept soundly in her mother's arms.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a child (chiefly scottish... child kid infant youngster babe

Opposites

adult

Word family

Forms bairnies

Derived forms bairnish

Related forms barn bear

Etymology

From Old English bearn ('child'), from Proto-Germanic *barną, from the root of beran ('to bear, carry'); cognate with Scots and Old Norse barn.

bearn Old English *barną Proto-Germanic *bʰer- Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

# bairn

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** bɛrn
**IPA (UK):** bɛən

## Meanings
1. a child (chiefly Scottish and northern English)

## Examples
- The wee bairn slept soundly in her mother's arms.

## Synonyms
- child
- kid
- infant
- youngster
- babe

## Antonyms
- adult

## Derived Forms
- bairnish

## Related Forms
- barn
- bear

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bearn
- Root: *barną
- Root: *bʰer-

## Etymology
From Old English bearn ('child'), from Proto-Germanic *barną, from the root of beran ('to bear, carry'); cognate with Scots and Old Norse barn.

## AI Etymology
Bairn is from Old English bearn ('child'), from Proto-Germanic *barną, from the root of beran ('to bear, carry'); cognate with Scots and Old Norse barn. Important recorded forms include bearn (Old English), *barną (Proto-Germanic), and *bʰer- (Proto-Indo-European). The current sense covers a child (chiefly Scottish and northern English). The wider family includes derived forms such as bairnish and related words such as barn and bear.

## Topics
- Register & Style
- General Vocabulary

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bairn

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