noun
cairn
keh-uhn
noun
1
A pile of stones stacked up as a marker, memorial, or landmark.
"Hikers built a cairn at the summit to mark the trail."
"The ancient cairn was believed to mark a burial site."
How to Use Cairn
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA human-made heap of stones, often used to mark a trail, summit, or grave.
Common pairings
stone cairn
build a cairn
stack a cairn
Word Forms
cairns plural
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Hikers built a _____ at the summit to mark the trail.
Etymology
From Scottish Gaelic càrn, ultimately from a Celtic root meaning "horn" — the same distant root behind the English word "horn."