Irvine

I1R1V4I1N1E1
/ˈɜɹvɪn//ˈɜɹvaɪn//ˈɜːvɪn/

proper noun

A river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which flows into the Firth of Clyde near the town of Irvine.

CommonScrabble 9

Meanings

proper nounIrvine (countable and uncountable, plural Irvines)

plural Irvines

  1. countableuncountableA river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which flows into the Firth of Clyde near the town of Irvine.
  2. countableuncountableA town in North Ayrshire council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NS3238).
  3. countableuncountableA hamlet in Alberta, Canada.
  4. A place in the United States:
    1. countableuncountableA city in Orange County, California.
      1 more example

      The relocation is part of Yum’s broader plans to have just two US headquarters for its restaurants, which also includes Irvine, California-based Taco Bell and Habit Burger. Combining KFC’s offices with Pizza Hut in Plano will “foster greater collaboration among brands and employees,” the company said in a press release.

      2025 February 19, Jordan Valinsky, “KFC is leaving Kentucky”, in CNN Business
    2. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Marion County, Florida.
    3. countableuncountableA city, the county seat of Estill County, Kentucky.
    4. countableuncountableA township in Benson County, North Dakota.
  5. countableuncountableA surname from Scottish Gaelic derived from the place name.
  6. countableuncountableA male given name transferred from the surname.

Origin

Probably from Celtic words cognate with Welsh ir, yr (“green, fresh”) + afon (“water”).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

Irvine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Irvine

MLA

“Irvine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Irvine. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Irvine,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Irvine.

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