| 释义 |
Fenian, n. and a.|ˈfiːnɪən|
[f. OIr. féne ‘one of the names of the ancient population of Ireland’ (Windisch), confused in modern times with fíann fem. collect., the name of a body of warriors who are said to have been the defenders of Ireland in the time of Finn and other legendary Irish kings.]
A. n.
1. (See quot. 1879.) Obs. exc. Hist.
1816Scott Antiq. xxx, [A pretended translation from Ossian] Do you compare your psalms To the tales of the bare-armed Fenians? 1861E. O'Curry Lect. MS. Materials Anc. Ir. Hist. 302 Goll Mac Morna, the great chief of the Connacht Fenians. 1879Encycl. Brit. IX. 75/1 According to popular tradition the Fians, or Fenians were mercenary tribes acting as a permanent military force for the support of the Ard Rig, or king of Eire.
2. One of an organization or ‘brotherhood’ formed among the Irish in the United States of America for promoting and assisting revolutionary movements, and for the overthrow of the English government in Ireland.
1864Leeds Mercury 11 Mar., The men known under the general name of Fenians..are regarded with no friendly eye by the Roman Catholic clergy in Ireland and America. 1865Sat. Rev. 4 Mar. 240 Rebels (of late called Fenians). 1880McCarthy Own Times IV. liii. 139 Several Fenians were taken and shot.
B. adj.
1. Of or pertaining to the Fenians (Fenian n. 1).
1861E. O'Curry Lect. MS. Materials Anc. Ir. Hist. 299 The Fenian Poems, many of which are attributed to Oisin and Fergus. 1862W. F. Skene in Bk. of Lismore Introd. 80 Districts in which the Fenian names enter most largely into the topography of the Highlands.
2. Of or pertaining to the Fenians (n. 2) or to Fenianism. Fenian Brotherhood (see quot. 1890).
1865Ann. Reg. 172 The new conspiracy commonly known by the name of ‘Fenian’. Ibid. 175 A..secret society called the Fenian Brotherhood. 1890C. L. Norton Polit. Americanisms 43 As generally understood in America, the ‘Fenian Brotherhood’ is a league pledged to the liberation of Ireland. |