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kern
kern (Ir. ceithearn, ‘a warband’). Although the Irish word is a collective, with an individual member of the troop being described as a ceitheamach, the Anglo‐Irish used the word both for a band of lightarmed native Irish mercenary soldiers and for the individual members of such a band. In pre‐Norman times, ceithearn might describe a band of fianna, young men who left their homes to join a warrior cult, but from the last years of the 12th century onwards kerns are small freelance bands of mercenaries, typically numbering around 20, organized under their own captains, who wander the countryside looking for military employment, and meanwhile intimidate peasants into offering them hospitality. Fighting without armour or helmets, often equipped only with a sword and a bunch of wooden throwing‐darts, kerns were not suited to pitched battles, but were chiefly employed in harrying civilian populations, burning houses, and plundering cattle. In the mid‐14th century accounts of the justiciar Ralph Ufford these troops were paid a mere penny a day, where foot archers earned twopence. They were, however, indispensable in Irish conditions and formed the bulk of the rank and file in any Irish army.
Katharine Simms |
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"kern." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kern." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-kern.html "kern." The Oxford Companion to Irish History. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O245-kern.html |
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Kern
Kern river, 155 mi (249 km) long, rising in the S Sierra Nevada Mts., E Calif., and flowing south, then southwest to a reservoir in the extreme southern part of the San Joaquin valley. The river has Isabella Dam as its chief facility. Kern River is the southern terminus of the Friant-Kern Canal, constructed between 1945 and 1951 to bring the waters of the San Joaquin River to the region (see Central Valley project ); irrigated agriculture (alfalfa, fruit, cotton) and cattle grazing are practiced. U.S. explorer John Frémont named the river in honor of Edward M. Kern, the topographer of his third expedition. Gold was discovered along the river in 1853. The entire river is protected by the National Park Service; the canyon of the upper Kern in Sequoia National Park is noted for its beauty. |
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"Kern." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Kern." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Kern.html "Kern." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Kern.html |
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kern
kern2 part of a metal type extending beyond the body or shank. XVII. perh. for *carn— F. carne corner, salient angle, Norman-Picard var. of OF. charne — L. cardō, cardin- hinge.
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T. F. HOAD. "kern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "kern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-kern1.html T. F. HOAD. "kern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-kern1.html |
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kern
kern1 light-armed Irish foot-soldier; peasant. XIV. — Ir. ceithern :- OIr. ceitern band of foot-soldiers.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "kern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "kern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-kern.html T. F. HOAD. "kern." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-kern.html |
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kern
kern, kerne. Anglicizations of ceithern.
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JAMES MacKILLOP. "kern." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES MacKILLOP. "kern." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-kern.html JAMES MacKILLOP. "kern." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-kern.html |
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kern
kern •adjourn, astern, Berne, burn, churn, concern, discern, earn, fern, fohn, kern, learn, Lucerne, quern, Sauternes, spurn, stern, Sterne, tern, terne, Traherne, turn, urn, Verne, yearn
•Bayern • Blackburn • heartburn
•Hepburn • Raeburn • Swinburne
•Gisborne, Lisburn
•sideburn • sunburn • Bannockburn
•lady-fern • Vättern • extern
•cittern, gittern
•Comintern • taciturn
•nocturn, nocturne
•U-turn • upturn
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Cite this article
"kern." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "kern." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-kern.html "kern." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-kern.html |
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