Recent Examples on the WebAccording to the park service, cairns are most commonly used to designate hiking routes.—Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2023 There are many kinds of historical stone features – waste piles, cairns, scatters, lines, kilns, gravestones, cobbles, patios and more.—Robert M. Thorson, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2023 It was replaced with the current cement cairn in 1926.—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 6 Nov. 2023 Typically cairns should be assembled only by rangers and trail workers, according to the park service.—Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2023 Above 13,000 feet, the trail disappears, turning the final push into a steep, tortuous slog up loose scree guided only by cairns — stone towers left by previous climbers to mark the way.—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2023 Previously, researchers had found piles of loose rock, known as cairns, on the southwestern part of Jomfruland.—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Oct. 2023 Additionally, the guidelines state that people should not build their own cairns out of the nearby rocks on the trail.—Kate Perez, USA TODAY, 13 July 2023 Some parkgoers have been stacking up large rock towers, called cairns, which NPS officials say go against Leave No Trace ethics meant to reduce humans’ effects on the environment.—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cairn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English (Scots) carne, from Scottish Gaelic carn; akin to Old Irish & Welsh carn cairn
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