brannigan

B3R1A1N1N1I1G2A1N1

noun

binge, bender, booze-up (where alcohol is drunk)

OriginIrish Ó Branagáin →
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

brannigan1

nounbrannigan (plural brannigans)

plural brannigans · alternative branigan

  1. binge, bender, booze-up (where alcohol is drunk)

    In the last decade of his life he went for long stretches without touching booze. Then stresses and strains would build up inside him and he would embark on a brannigan.

    1977, Harry Allen Smith, The Life and Legend of Gene Fowler
  2. brawl, fight

    The second round was a brannigan from bell to bell. Both men went out for blood and both got it.

    2005, Louis L'Amour, May There Be a Road: Stories

Brannigan2

proper nounBrannigan (plural Brannigans)

plural Brannigans · alternative Branagan

  1. A surname from Irish.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
booze-up

Origin

brannigan · noun

Bran(n)- refers to an ancient king of Wales, his name meaning "raven" in Old Welsh. His head is said to be buried under the Tower of London & is why, it is said, that ravens flock to it. "-igan" is an Anglicization of the Brythonic Gaelic surname suffix "-yggan" which means "descendant of".

Full word history & related roots →

Brannigan · proper noun

  1. IrishÓ Branagáin“descendant of Branagán”
  2. EnglishBrannigan

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Branagáin (“descendant of Branagán”), a personal name derived from a hypocoristic form of bran (“raven”).

More words from Irish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish balanga
  • balangabooze-up
Cite this entry
APA

brannigan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brannigan

MLA

“brannigan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brannigan. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brannigan,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brannigan.

Source: brannigan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.