Fenian

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English

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Etymology

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Blend of Irish féinne or fianna, plural of fiann (soldier), the name of a legendary band of Irish warriors, and Old Irish Féne or Féni, legendary settlers of Ireland. First attested from 1816.

Pronunciation

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  • enPR: fē-nē-ən, fēn′yən, IPA(key): /ˈfiːniːən/, /ˈfiːnjən/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Noun

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Fenian (plural Fenians)

  1. (British, Ireland) An Irish nationalist or republican.
  2. (historical) A member of the Fenian Brotherhood or the Irish Republican Brotherhood, Irish republican organizations active in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
  3. (derogatory, Scotland and Northern Ireland) A Catholic, especially one of Irish ethnicity or descent.
    • [2023 August 23, Rory Carroll, “Files reveal terms ministers were warned not to use in Northern Ireland”, in The Guardian[1], →ISSN:
      It was sound advice for anyone visiting Northern Ireland in 1999 and remains so today: do not refer to Protestants as “Prods”, or to Catholics as “Fenians” or “Taigs”, and whatever you do don’t refer to your visit as “being out here”.]
  4. (derogatory, Scotland and Northern Ireland) A supporter of Scottish association football club Celtic F.C.

Synonyms

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  • (derogatory, Irish Catholic or supporter of Celtic F.C): taig, Tim
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Translations

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References

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Anagrams

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