bawneen

English

Etymology

From Irish báinín (“undyed flannel”), from bán (“white”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈbɔːniːn/

Noun

bawneen (plural bawneens)

1. (Ireland) A waistcoat with sleeves made from undyed flannel, typically worn by labourers.
2. (Ireland) The flannel cloth such waistcoats are made from.
   • 2002, Joseph O'Connor, Star of the Sea, Vintage 2003, p. 63:

     He would take off his neatly pressed worsted trousers, his Winchester College blazer and schoolboy's cap, and don the rough clothes he wore at home in Connemara: the peasant's canvas britches, the bawneen ‘bratt’ or smock.