oban

O1B3A1N1
UK/ˈəʊbən/US/ˈoʊbən/Scotland/ˈoːbən/

proper noun

A town in Argyll and Bute council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NM8530).

OriginScottish Gaelic Òban →
Less commonScrabble 6
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Meanings

oban1

nounoban (plural obans)

plural obans

  1. archaicArchaic form of obang (“Japanese coin”).

Oban2

proper noun
  1. A town in Argyll and Bute council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NM8530).
  2. A locality in the Rural Municipality of Biggar No. 347, Saskatchewan, Canada.
  3. A locality in the Armidale council area, north-eastern New South Wales, Australia.
  4. The main settlement on Stewart Island, New Zealand, also known as Halfmoon Bay.

Origin

  1. Scottish GaelicÒban
  2. EnglishOban

From Scottish Gaelic Òban, from òban (“little bay”), diminutive of òb (“bay”).

More words from Scottish Gaelic

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Scottish Gaelic An t-Òban
  • An t-Òbantown in Argyll

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

bonaBanoAbonbaon
Cite this entry
APA

oban. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oban

MLA

“oban.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oban. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oban,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oban.

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