A fortified enclosure or stronghold, particularly in Ireland; a fortified house or castle.
From Irish badhun or Old Irish badhun, meaning a fortified house or fort. The word is borrowed directly from Irish Gaelic and describes the specific architectural style of Irish defensive structures. Appears frequently in descriptions of Irish history and archaeology.
Bawns are purely Irish architectural features—they're these walled enclosures where Irish families could defend themselves, and you can still see ruins of them across Ireland! The word shows how Irish and English intertwined in colonial language.
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