Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word shillelagh. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word shillelagh, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say shillelagh in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word shillelagh you have here. The definition of the word shillelagh will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofshillelagh, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
From Irishsail éille(“shillelagh”, literally “cudgel of a thong”), altered to match the name of the village of Shillelagh (from IrishSíol Éalaigh(literally “descendants of Éalach”), because the forest near it provided wood from which such clubs could be made.
This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready. Particularly: "speaker native to Ireland"
1842, Charlotte Elizabeth, “Letter IX. The Dumb Boy.”, in Personal Recollections. From the London Edition, New York, N.Y.: John S. Taylor & Co. No. 145 Nassau-Street, Brick Church Chapel, →OCLC, pages 151–152:
he stem of a stout young oak or ash tree, into the end of which, where the roots had been rounded off, a quantity of molten lead was poured, making the shillelagh more formidable in such hands than a sword would have been – much harder to parry, and impossible to break.
, T. Maclagan, “The Twig of the Shannon”, in Maclagan's Musical Age Songster, Containing All the Most Popular Songs Sung by T. Maclagan, London: The Music-Publishing Company, 19 Peter's Hill, St. Paul's, E.C., →OCLC, page 27:
It beats all your guns and your rifles, / For it goes off whene'er you desire, / And it's sure to hit just what it aims at, / For shillelaghs they never miss fire.
"My sorrow!" cried Toirdealbhach. "What do I want to be a saint for at all, is my puzzle! If I could fetch one crack at somebody with me ouldshillelagh"—here he produced a frightful-looking weapon from under his gown—"wouldn't it be better than all the saints in Ireland?"
2007, John W. Hurley, “Irish Martial Arts”, in Shillelagh: The Irish Fighting Stick, Pipersville, Pa.: Caravat Press, →ISBN, page 15:
The precise size and shape of a shillelagh can be hard to agree upon, but most of those who have an interest in Irish culture will readily acknowledge that a knobbed stick, made of oak or blackthorn, are the distinguishing characteristics of a shillelagh.
shillelagh (weapon) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia 