Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

comely maidens

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.26 in modern English

Syllables
come-ly -maid-ens
IPA
23
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
4
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An outdated stereotype of Irish women; used as a reference to misogynistic opinions.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Incorrectly attributed to a speech by Irish statesman Éamon de Valera. A longer version is often misquoted as "comely maidens, dancing at the crossroads". The actual phrase, delivered in a radio broadcast on St. Patrick's Day 1943, mentions "the laughter of happy maidens, whose firesides would be forums for the wisdom of serene old age." See Wikipedia article.

Questions

What does comely maidens mean?
An outdated stereotype of Irish women; used as a reference to misogynistic opinions.
Where does comely maidens come from?
Incorrectly attributed to a speech by Irish statesman Éamon de Valera. A longer version is often misquoted as "comely maidens, dancing at the crossroads". The actual phrase, delivered in a radio broadcast on St. Patrick's Day 1943, mentions "the laughter of happy maidens, whose firesides would be forums for the wisdom of serene old age." See Wikipedia article.

How to pronounce comely maidens

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