Orkney

English

Etymology

From Old Norse Orkneyjar (“seal islands”), from Old Norse ørkn (“seal”) + ey (“island”). The modern form is singular. Norwegian settlers reinterpreted the original Pictish tribal name element orc (meaning "young pig") as their similarly-shaped native word for seal and added their word for island.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔː(ɹ)kni/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Proper noun

Orkney

1. Ellipsis of Orkney Islands.
2. A historical county of Scotland, United Kingdom.

Derived terms

• Orkneyan
• Orkney skiff
• Orkxit

 

Anagrams

• Yonker, yonker