# duan

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #60,041

## Definitions
1. A division of a poem, especially an epic poem or a Scottish poem; a canto.
2. A poem or song.

## Etymology
From Irish and Scottish Gaelic duan, from Middle Irish dúan, from Proto-Indo-European *dh₂p-no- (compare Old Armenian տաւն (tawn, “feast, celebration”), Ancient Greek δαπάνη (dapánē, “cost”), Old Norse tafn (“sacrificial animal”) and Latin damnum (“damage”)), from *deh₂p- (“to sacrifice”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/duan