duan

D2U1A1N1

noun

A division of a poem, especially an epic poem or a Scottish poem; a canto.

OriginScottish Gaelic duan ← Middle Irish dúan ← Proto-Indo-European *dh₂p-no- →
UncommonScrabble 5
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Meanings

duan1

nounduan (plural duans)

plural duans

  1. A division of a poem, especially an epic poem or a Scottish poem; a canto.

    Till what is call'd, in Ossian, the fifth Duan

    1819–1824, [Lord Byron], Don Juan, London, (please specify |canto=I to XVII)
  2. A poem or song.

Duan2

proper nounDuan (plural Duans)

plural Duans

  1. A surname.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*dh₂p-no-
  2. Middle Irishdúan
  3. Scottish Gaelicduan
  4. Englishduan

From Irish and Scottish Gaelic duan, from Middle Irish dúan, from Proto-Indo-European *dh₂p-no- (compare Old Armenian տաւն (tawn, “feast, celebration”), Ancient Greek δαπάνη (dapánē, “cost”), Old Norse tafn (“sacrificial animal”) and Latin damnum (“damage”)), from *deh₂p- (“to sacrifice”).

More words from Scottish Gaelic, Middle Irish, Proto-Indo-European

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

DunaDanu
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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