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fenian

 - 3 dictionary results

Fe⋅ni⋅an

  [fee-nee-uhn, feen-yuhn]
Use fenian in a Sentence
–noun
1. a member of an Irish revolutionary organization founded in New York in 1858, which worked for the establishment of an independent Irish republic.
2. (in late Irish legends) a member of a group of warriors always ready to defend Ireland against its enemies.
Origin:
1810–20; < Ir féinne (gen. of fiann band of Fenians) + -ian; influenced by OIr féne ancient inhabitant of Ireland

Related forms:
Fe⋅ni⋅an⋅ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Fe·ni·an   (fē'nē-ən)   
n.  

  1. One of a legendary group of heroic Irish warriors of the second and third centuries A.D.

  2. A member of a secret revolutionary organization in the United States and Ireland in the mid-19th century, dedicated to the overthrow of British rule in Ireland.


[From alteration (influenced by féne, body of freemen under early Irish law) of Irish Gaelic fianna, bands of young warriors, from Old Irish fíanna, pl. of fían.]
Fe'ni·an adj., Fe'ni·an·ism n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Fenian 
1816, blend of O.Ir. feinne, pl. of fiann, name of a band of Ir. warriors + O.Ir. Fene, name of the ancient inhabitants of Ireland. Ref. to Irish-Amer. brotherhood of that name first attested 1864.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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