n ā f. Also -nn and later ceithrenn. Pl. also -irne. c.¤ (ceithreann, v.l.) f., IGT Decl. § 12 (61.z) . kern(e) (as collect.), band of fighting-men; band or collection of persons in general: cethern .i. coire aimite, unde dicitur cethernach.¤ Cethern didiu, cith cath ┐ orn orgain, Corm. Y 295 . cethirn comlain (dat. of accompaniment), SR 3538 . rom bía-sa cethern lib condeochaindsea do thabairt cobra dó desin, LU 5906 (TBC). ar cethernd aile quoth some others, (another? See below), 1909 . abaigh ceall go cethernaibh `soldiery', Ériu xviii 72 § 62 . undsea chethirn ṅ-gilla, TBC-LL¹ 5762 . comrac da ceithernn . . . Munter T. ┐ Mundter C., RC xviii 21.18 . iss é ra marb i[n] cethirnn mbric `the speckled kerne', Ann. Inisf. 1206.7 . ac biathadh mu ceitheirne, Acall. 524 . ar coimge don cethirn may the band (of saints) protect us, Gorm. May 27 . eccla ṡústa duirn dīabuil / cona c[h]eithirn guirm ghlóraigh, ACL iii 216.16 . ón cheithrinn chródha, Duan. F. ii xxxvi 2 . gidh bé ceithearna ad-chíthir, DDána 102.30 . ríoghdhacht chonnláin cheithirne, IGT Decl. ex. 589 . cethrinna ┐ macaimh . . . in bhaile, Smaointe B. Chr. 2965 . ceitheirne móra do shladaidhthib, SG 10.8 = turba latronum, V. SS. Hib. i 225 § 19 . sreith coinnmhedh ┐ ceitherna . . . do choscc `abolished the taxes of Coigny, Kernetty', AFM v 1686.3 (`Kernetty—this was a tax on every ploughland for the maintenance of the Lord's kerne', note. Separate derivative?).

With qual. gen.: ceithearn coilleadh clann Ádhuimh outlaw band, DDána 10.1 . ag caomhna na ceithirne coille ┐ na ndíbherccach, AFM v 1546.z . cethirna comlaind, TTebe 1477 . c.¤ congmhala an bhaile hired soldiers, AFM iii 558.9 . an macradh ina cethairn tigi domestic troop, SG 42.2 . ar son na cethernne timchill `bodyguard', BColm. 102.3 .

The singulative sense, well attested in the Engl. loanword (see N.E.D.) may occur in: is i cethern is dech la ri Temra . . . a gilla con, CF 73.25 ; cf. LU 1909 cited above and Meyer Contribb.

Compd. campa conghaireach ceithernlíonmhar, AFM vi 1884.8 .