noun
bairn
beh-uhrn
Bairn (noun) means a child, especially in Scottish and northern English usage. Example: “She was carrying her youngest bairn on her hip.”
noun
1
A child, especially in Scottish and northern English usage.
"She was carrying her youngest bairn on her hip."
How to use bairn
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA Scots and northern-English word for a child or baby.
When to use it
Regional and informal — common in Scotland and North East England, rare elsewhere.
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Word forms
- Plural
- bairns
- Third person singular
- bairns
- Past tense
- bairned
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She was carrying her youngest _____ on her hip.
Etymology
From Scots bairn, from Old English bearn ("child"), a doublet of barn (the storage building, from an unrelated sense of "storing grain").
Rhymes for bairn
See all rhymes for bairn →Frequently asked questions
What does “bairn” mean?
The word “bairn” means a child, especially in Scottish and northern English usage. In plain terms, a Scots and northern-English word for a child or baby.
How do you pronounce “bairn”?
“Bairn” is pronounced beh-uhrn (/bɛərn/ in IPA).
How do you use “bairn” in a sentence?
Here is “bairn” used in a sentence: “She was carrying her youngest bairn on her hip.”
What part of speech is “bairn”?
“Bairn” is a noun.
Where does the word “bairn” come from?
The word “bairn” comes from Old English. From Scots bairn, from Old English bearn ("child"), a doublet of barn (the storage building, from an unrelated sense of "storing grain").
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