Orkney

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Orkney

/ˈɔɾkne/ Scotland
/ˈɔɾknɪ/ Scotland
/ˈɔɾkni/ Scotland
/ˈɔːkni/ UK

Where it comes from

From Old Norse Orkneyjar (“seal islands”), from Old Norse ørkn (“seal”) + ey (“island”). The modern form is singular. Ninth-century Norwegian settlers reinterpreted the Pictish/Proto-Brythonic name for the islands, recorded as Ancient Greek Όρκάδες (Órkádes), which was derived from Proto-Celtic *ɸorkos (“young pig”). Less common theories include a connection with Welsh erch (“speckled”) (on the basis of the Welsh form Erch) or Proto-Celtic *orkā (“pine”) (however, these islands are known for their lack of trees).

proper noun

abbreviation, ellipsis Ellipsis of Orkney Islands Orkney is an archipelago of 70 or so islands lying off the northeast tip of Scotland. “Everywhere in Orkney there is the sense of age, the dark backward and abysm,” the late Orcadian poet George Mackay Brown wrote. “The islands have been inhabited for a very long time, from before the day of the plo
A historical county of Scotland, United Kingdom.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: cromarty, orkney islands, ayrshire, argyll, ormond, morayshire, lanarkshire, scot., knoydart, edinburghshire, aberdeen, perth, lochalsh, athole, argyle, arg.

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MLA

"Orkney." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/orkney. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

Orkney. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/orkney

Chicago

"Orkney." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/orkney.

BibTeX

@misc{orkney_2026,
  title = {Orkney},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/orkney},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}