Dictionary

lochan en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈlɒkən/ (UK)
• /ˈlɔxən/ (Scotland)

Etymology

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic lochan, diminutive of loch (“lake”).

Meanings

1. (Scotland) A small loch (lake)
   • The Cairngorms national park has some of Britain’s harshest weather and the heaviest snowfall in Scotland, creating snowfields that stretch to the horizon. Lochs, lochans and waterfalls can be frozen solid. 2017 February 18, Kari Herbert, The Guardian:
   • The moor is a bare and ancient landscape; the dank mosses studded with a mosaic of tiny lochans, stumps of vanished trees, largely devoid of sustenance for man and beast, an almost mythical emptiness where dragons, outlaws and elves might easily be imagined! 2009, John Sadler, Glencoe, Amberley, published 2009, page 23:

Forms