birlinn

B3I1R1L1I1N1N1

noun

A type of boat used especially in the Hebrides and West Highlands of Scotland in the Middle Ages.

OriginScottish Gaelic bìrlinn ← Old Norse byrðingr →
RareScrabble 9
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Meanings

nounbirlinn (plural birlinns)

plural birlinns · alternative berling · alternative birling

  1. ScotlandhistoricalA type of boat used especially in the Hebrides and West Highlands of Scotland in the Middle Ages.

Origin

  1. Old Norsebyrðingr
  2. Scottish Gaelicbìrlinn
  3. Englishbirlinn

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic bìrlinn, from Old Norse byrðingr.

More words from Scottish Gaelic, Old Norse

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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