cairn Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a mound of stones piled up as a memorial or to mark a boundary or path
  2. noun small rough-haired breed of terrier from Scotland
    cairn terrier.

WordNet

Cairn noun
Etymology
Gael. carn, gen. cairn, a heap: cf. Ir. & W. carn.
Definitions
  1. A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
    Now here let us place the gray stone of her cairn. Campbell.
  2. A pile of stones heaped up as a landmark, or to arrest attention, as in surveying, or in leaving traces of an exploring party, etc. C. Kingsley. Kane.

Webster 1913