colleen C2+ Topic:People & Society US /kɑˈlin/ UK /ˈkɒliːn/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun an Irish girl or young woman A bright-eyed colleen sang the old ballad at the fair. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · an irish girl or young woman girllassmaidendamsel Etymology AI details From Irish cailín ('girl'), diminutive of caile ('country woman, girl'). Borrowed into Hiberno-English in the 19th century. cailín Irish View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # colleen **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /kɑˈlin/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈkɒliːn/ ## Meanings 1. an Irish girl or young woman ## Examples - A bright-eyed colleen sang the old ballad at the fair. ## Synonyms - girl - lass - maiden - damsel ## Roots and Affixes - Root: cailín ## Etymology From Irish cailín ('girl'), diminutive of caile ('country woman, girl'). Borrowed into Hiberno-English in the 19th century. ## AI Etymology Colleen comes from Irish cailín ('girl'), diminutive of caile ('country woman, girl'). Borrowed into Hiberno-English in the 19th century. The historical trail runs through cailín in Irish. Used as a noun, colleen now means "an Irish girl or young woman", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown