Where does “cairn” come from?

Cairn comes from Scots carn, from Scottish Gaelic carn, from Proto-Celtic karnos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂-.

cairn (English): A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by...

Definitions

  1. A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by...

Ancestry of “cairn”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scotscairn
2Scottish Gaeliccarnheap of stones
3Old Irishcarn
4Proto-Celtickarnoscairn; horn
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱerh₂-head, top; horn

Words derived from “cairn

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂-Every word from Proto-Celtic karnosEvery word from Old Irish carn