"townland" meaning in English

See townland in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈtaʊnlænd/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˈtaʊnˌlænd/ [General-American] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-townland.wav [Southern-England] Forms: townlands [plural]
Etymology: town + land. Etymology templates: {{compound|en|town|land}} town + land Head templates: {{en-noun}} townland (plural townlands)
  1. (Ireland) A geographical unit of land smaller than a parish. Wikipedia link: County Donegal, Inishowen Tags: Ireland Categories (topical): Administrative divisions Categories (place): Ireland Translations (geographical unit of land smaller than a parish): baile fearainn (Irish), baile fearainn [masculine] (Scottish Gaelic), ٹاؤن لینڈ (Urdu)

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for townland meaning in English (5.9kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "town",
        "3": "land"
      },
      "expansion": "town + land",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "town + land.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "townlands",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "townland (plural townlands)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "town‧land"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
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          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Irish English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Administrative divisions",
          "orig": "en:Administrative divisions",
          "parents": [
            "Government",
            "Politics",
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            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "place",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Ireland",
          "orig": "en:Ireland",
          "parents": [
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            "Proper nouns",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1696–1706, William Montgomery, chapter IV, in George Hill, editor, The Montgomery Manuscripts: (1603–1706): Compiled from Family Papers by William Montgomery of Rosemount, Esquire; […], Belfast: James Cleeland, […]; Thomas Dargan, […], published 1869, →OCLC, page 55",
          "text": "Here is to be noted, that Sir Hugh got his estate by townlands, by reason of his agreement with Con O'Neil, whereas other undertakers of plantations in Ulster had several scopes of land (called proportions) admeasured to them, each containing one thousand acres, profitable for plough and good pasture, mountains and bog not reckoned in the number, but thrown in as an appurtenance.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1816 May 31, Alexander Stewart (witness), “Appendix. Minutes of Evidence Taken before the Select Committee Appointed to Inquire into the Causes and Extent of Illicit Distillation of Spirits in Ireland, and the Best Means or the Prevention thereof; […]”, in Reports, also, Accounts and Papers, Relating to Ireland. […], volume IX, pages 63–64",
          "text": "I am not aware that those tenants have since transgressed; but I received a letter from home, informing me that there were three fines struck upon a townland of mine, and that on the tenants of that townland being asked how that came about, the only account they gave was, that there were three stills brought from Cloghonnelly, and lodged in that townland of mine.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1861 April 22, W[illia]m Reeves, “On the Townland Distribution of Ireland”, in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, volume VII, Dublin: Printed by M[ichael] H[enry] Gill, […], published 1862, →OCLC, page 473",
          "text": "The civil distribution of Ireland, in the descending scale, is into Provinces, Counties, Baronies, Parishes, and Townlands; and under these successive grades of classification every acre of Ireland is accounted for in that noble compilation, the Census of 1851,— […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1903, George Moore, “Home-Sickness”, in The Untilled Field, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, […], →OCLC, page 158",
          "text": "[T]hey walked round the lake, for the townland was at the back of the demesne; and while they walked, James proposed to pay Mike ten shillings a week for his board and lodging.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1916, [Peter O’Leary], “The Jewel”, in Shiana: From the Irish, Dublin: The Irish Book Company […]; Browne & Nolan, Limited […], →OCLC, pages 89–90",
          "text": "[T]he report had already been spread about the country that Shiana was out of his mind; […] that there was a batch of people in every one of the seven townlands cutting splinters of wood to make torches for the night to go in search of him, and that no doubt he would be found stuck head downwards in some hole and drowned, or in some rock-cave, perished with cold and hunger.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Paul Galvin, “North Kerry – Rebel Stronghold”, in In My Own Words: The Autobiography, London: Transworld Ireland, Transworld Publishers, page 28",
          "text": "Lixnaw is my parish and my hurling club; Ballinclogher is my townland and my home. Finuge is the football side of the parish, about 8 miles from where I grew up.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A geographical unit of land smaller than a parish."
      ],
      "id": "en-townland-en-noun-fN3MxX~D",
      "links": [
        [
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          "geographical"
        ],
        [
          "unit",
          "unit"
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        ],
        [
          "small",
          "small"
        ],
        [
          "parish",
          "parish"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Ireland) A geographical unit of land smaller than a parish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ireland"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "geographical unit of land smaller than a parish",
          "word": "baile fearainn"
        },
        {
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "geographical unit of land smaller than a parish",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "baile fearainn"
        },
        {
          "code": "ur",
          "lang": "Urdu",
          "sense": "geographical unit of land smaller than a parish",
          "word": "ٹاؤن لینڈ"
        }
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "County Donegal",
        "Inishowen"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtaʊnlænd/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
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    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtaʊnˌlænd/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-townland.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-townland.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-townland.wav.mp3",
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      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
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  "word": "townland"
}
{
  "etymology_templates": [
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    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "town + land.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "townlands",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "townland (plural townlands)",
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  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "town‧land"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
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        "English compound terms",
        "English countable nouns",
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        "English lemmas",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with audio links",
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        "en:Administrative divisions",
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1696–1706, William Montgomery, chapter IV, in George Hill, editor, The Montgomery Manuscripts: (1603–1706): Compiled from Family Papers by William Montgomery of Rosemount, Esquire; […], Belfast: James Cleeland, […]; Thomas Dargan, […], published 1869, →OCLC, page 55",
          "text": "Here is to be noted, that Sir Hugh got his estate by townlands, by reason of his agreement with Con O'Neil, whereas other undertakers of plantations in Ulster had several scopes of land (called proportions) admeasured to them, each containing one thousand acres, profitable for plough and good pasture, mountains and bog not reckoned in the number, but thrown in as an appurtenance.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1816 May 31, Alexander Stewart (witness), “Appendix. Minutes of Evidence Taken before the Select Committee Appointed to Inquire into the Causes and Extent of Illicit Distillation of Spirits in Ireland, and the Best Means or the Prevention thereof; […]”, in Reports, also, Accounts and Papers, Relating to Ireland. […], volume IX, pages 63–64",
          "text": "I am not aware that those tenants have since transgressed; but I received a letter from home, informing me that there were three fines struck upon a townland of mine, and that on the tenants of that townland being asked how that came about, the only account they gave was, that there were three stills brought from Cloghonnelly, and lodged in that townland of mine.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1861 April 22, W[illia]m Reeves, “On the Townland Distribution of Ireland”, in Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, volume VII, Dublin: Printed by M[ichael] H[enry] Gill, […], published 1862, →OCLC, page 473",
          "text": "The civil distribution of Ireland, in the descending scale, is into Provinces, Counties, Baronies, Parishes, and Townlands; and under these successive grades of classification every acre of Ireland is accounted for in that noble compilation, the Census of 1851,— […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1903, George Moore, “Home-Sickness”, in The Untilled Field, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, […], →OCLC, page 158",
          "text": "[T]hey walked round the lake, for the townland was at the back of the demesne; and while they walked, James proposed to pay Mike ten shillings a week for his board and lodging.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1916, [Peter O’Leary], “The Jewel”, in Shiana: From the Irish, Dublin: The Irish Book Company […]; Browne & Nolan, Limited […], →OCLC, pages 89–90",
          "text": "[T]he report had already been spread about the country that Shiana was out of his mind; […] that there was a batch of people in every one of the seven townlands cutting splinters of wood to make torches for the night to go in search of him, and that no doubt he would be found stuck head downwards in some hole and drowned, or in some rock-cave, perished with cold and hunger.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2014, Paul Galvin, “North Kerry – Rebel Stronghold”, in In My Own Words: The Autobiography, London: Transworld Ireland, Transworld Publishers, page 28",
          "text": "Lixnaw is my parish and my hurling club; Ballinclogher is my townland and my home. Finuge is the football side of the parish, about 8 miles from where I grew up.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A geographical unit of land smaller than a parish."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "geographical",
          "geographical"
        ],
        [
          "unit",
          "unit"
        ],
        [
          "land",
          "land#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "small",
          "small"
        ],
        [
          "parish",
          "parish"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Ireland) A geographical unit of land smaller than a parish."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ireland"
      ],
      "wikipedia": [
        "County Donegal",
        "Inishowen"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtaʊnlænd/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtaʊnˌlænd/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-townland.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-townland.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-townland.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4a/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-townland.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-townland.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "geographical unit of land smaller than a parish",
      "word": "baile fearainn"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "geographical unit of land smaller than a parish",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "baile fearainn"
    },
    {
      "code": "ur",
      "lang": "Urdu",
      "sense": "geographical unit of land smaller than a parish",
      "word": "ٹاؤن لینڈ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "townland"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.