Old English earn; related to Old Norse örn eagle, Old High German aro eagle, Greek ornis bird
Erne in British English
(ɜːn)
noun
a river in N central Republic of Ireland, rising in County Cavan and flowing north across the border, through Upper Lough Erne and Lower Lough Erne and then west to Donegal Bay. Length: about 96 km (60 miles)
erne in American English
(ɜrn) or ern (ɜrn)
noun
a sea eagle; esp., the European white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) which lives near the sea, lakes, or rivers
Word origin
ME ern < OE earn, akin to MLowG arn < IE base *er-, *or-, great bird, eagle > Ger aar, eagle & Gr ornis, bird