Ossian

O1S1S1I1A1N1

proper noun

A male given name from Irish; rather rare in the Anglo-Saxon world.

OriginIrish Oisín →
UncommonScrabble 6
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A male given name from Irish; rather rare in the Anglo-Saxon world.

    Fingal! thou king of heroes! Ossian, next to him in war! ye have fought in your youth; your names are renowned in song.

    1765, James Macpherson, The Poems of Ossian, Tauchnitz, published 1847, page 204
  2. A place name:
    1. A town in Jefferson Township, Wells County, Indiana, United States.
    2. A minor city in Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States.
    3. A town in Livingston County, New York, United States.
    4. A river that flows from Loch Ossian, Highland council area, Scotland, ultimately joining the River Spean.

Origin

  1. IrishOisín
  2. EnglishOssian

An anglicisation, made known by James Macpherson, of Irish Oisín, diminutive form of os (“deer”).

More words from Irish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish Ossian
  • Ossianmale given name
Irish Oisín
  • Oisínmale given name
Swedish Ossian
  • Ossianmale given name
Welsh Osian
  • Osianmale given name

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

saisonSionas
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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