Erne

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ɜːn/
• US IPA: /ɝːn/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)n
• Homophones: earn, ern, urn

Alternative forms

• earn, ern

Origin

From Middle English ern, erne, earn, from Old English earn ("eagle"), from Proto-Germanic *arô ("eagle"), from Proto-Indo-European *or- ("large bird, eagle"). Cognate with Dutch and Low German arend ("eagle"), Danish ørn ("eagle"), Swedish örn ("eagle"), German Aar ("eagle"), Ancient Greek ὄρνεον, ὄρνις (órneon, órnis, "bird").

Full definition of erne

Noun

1. (chiefly poetic, dialectal, scientific) An eagle.The bald earn
2. An eagle with a distinctive white tail; specifically, the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla).

Synonyms

• (an eagle) sea eagle, white-tailed eagle

Derived terms

• bald erne

Anagrams

• ne'er, NEER, reen