mavourneen

English - English

Definition of mavourneen in English English dictionary

darling, sweetheart

my darling

{i} (Irish) mavournin, darling, dear

My darling; an Irish term of endearment for a girl or woman

Related Terms

Kathleen Mavourneen

indefinite; which may not have an end for years, if ever

and rode to varsity on a bike, which was considered 'infra dig.' for nice girls. Not that she cared about appearances. She earned extra money when she could and in her third year had a ‘Kathleen Mavourneen’ loan arranged through the registrar. ‘Kathleen Mavourneen’? The tag had currency from an Irish song popular at community sings, with the punch line ‘It may be for years and it may be for ever.’ Such a loan was interest-free, but Kath wasn't the sort to leave it for ever.

Hyphenation

ma·vour·neen

Etymology

() Anglo-Irish, from the Irish mo mhuirnín, from mo ‘my’ + muirnín (diminutive of muirn ‘affection’).