mavourneen

English

Etymology

Hiberno-English, from Irish mo mhuirnín (“my darling”) (diminutive of muirn (“affection”)).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /məˈvʊəniːn/, /məˈvɔːniːn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /məˈvʊɹniːn/, /məˈvɝniːn/
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /məˈvuːɹniːn/

Noun

mavourneen (plural mavourneens)

1. (Ireland) darling, sweetheart
   • 1850 (approx.), Anonymous, Finnegan's Wake

     Biddy O'Brien began to cry

     "Such a nice clean corpse, did you ever see?

     "Arrah, Tim, mavourneen, why did you die?"

     "Ah, shut your gob," said Paddy McGee!

Related terms

• avourneen