cionn

Cionn is a word in the Irish language meaning "head" or "headland" and is used as a toponymic element in Irish place names. It is cognate with ceann ("head") and shares the same semantic field of prominence and extremity. In Irish spelling, Cionn is written with a slender vowel i, and in many texts it appears as part of longer place-name compounds.

In toponymy, Cionn typically marks features associated with the "head" or far end of a landscape, such as a promontory, the head of a river, or the upper end of a valley or coast. The precise interpretation depends on context and accompanying elements in the name, as local tradition shapes how the term is applied in a given area.

In addition to geographic naming, Cionn can appear in personal or family names in Irish-language contexts, signaling ancestral or geographic connections. However, its use outside place names is comparatively limited.

Overall, Cionn illustrates how the Irish language encodes landscape and locality in its onomastic system. It sits alongside other head-related elements such as ceann and indicates a location's prominence or terminal position within a feature, contributing to the descriptive character of Irish placenames.