English Explanatory Dictionary

shillelagh

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A wooden (traditionally blackthorn (sloe) wood) club ending with a large knob.
  2. Any cudgel, whether or not of Irish origin.
name
  1. A village in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Pronunciation

/ʃəˈleɪli/ En-us-shillelagh.oga LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-shillelagh.wav

Word forms

shillelagh shillelaghs shillala shillalah shillelah shillalagh shillaly shillely

Etymology

From Irish sail éille (“shillelagh”, literally “cudgel of a thong”), altered to match the name of the village of Shillelagh (from Irish Síol Éalaigh (literally “descendants of Éalach”), because the forest near it provided wood from which such clubs could be made.

Related words

blackthorn
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