Bairn

Common card · No. 356920

Bairn is a Northern English, Scottish English and Scots term for a child. It originated in Old English as bearn, becoming restricted to Scotland and the North of England, c. 1700. In Hull, the r is dropped and the word bain is used. The word was included in The English Dialect Dictionary with variant spellings barn, bayn, and bayne, that reflect varying pronunciations. Compare with the Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese and Danish word for child barn, the West Frisian bern, and the Latvian bērns. Cain bairns are children seized by witches and warlocks as tribute for the devil.

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