brehon

B3R1E1H4O1N1

noun

A judge or lawgiver in ancient Celtic Ireland.

OriginIrish breitheamh ← Old Irish brithem →
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Meanings

nounbrehon (plural brehons)

plural brehons

  1. IrelandhistoricalA judge or lawgiver in ancient Celtic Ireland.

    [T]he brehon handed him a hilted weapon, a rare and ancient sword named Hrunting.

    1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 48

Origin

  1. Old Irishbrithem
  2. Irishbreitheamh
  3. Englishbrehon

From an Anglicized oblique form (such as genitive singular breitheamhan or dative singular breitheamhain) of Irish breitheamh, from Old Irish brithem, from breth (“judgment”).

More words from Irish, Old Irish

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

HebronBohnerbehorn
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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