Cú Chulainn

Ireland/kuːˈxʊlɪn/

proper noun

The pre-eminent hero of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle, almost undefeatable due to his spear the Gae Bulg, but cursed to reach an early grave; son of Lugh and Deichtine.

OriginOld Irish Cú Chulainn →
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Meanings

proper noun

alternative Cúchulainn

  1. Irishhuman sciencesThe pre-eminent hero of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle, almost undefeatable due to his spear the Gae Bulg, but cursed to reach an early grave; son of Lugh and Deichtine.

Origin

  1. Old IrishCú Chulainn
  2. EnglishCú Chulainn

From Old Irish Cú Chulainn (literally “hound of Culann”). The latter name could be related to Ancient Greek κυλλός (kullós, “crooked, crippled”).

More words from Old Irish

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Cú Chulainn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/C%C3%BA%20Chulainn

MLA

“Cú Chulainn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/C%C3%BA%20Chulainn. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Cú Chulainn,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/C%C3%BA%20Chulainn.

Source: Cú Chulainn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.