# shillelagh

> English word · Noun · IPA /ʃəˈleɪli/

## Definitions
1. A wooden (traditionally blackthorn (sloe) wood) club ending with a large knob.
2. Any cudgel, whether or not of Irish origin.

## Etymology
From Irish sail éille (“shillelagh”, literally “cudgel of a thong”), altered to match the name of the village of Shillelagh (from Irish Síol Éalaigh (literally “descendants of Éalach”), because the forest near it provided wood from which such clubs could be made.

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