- spàirn
- an effort, struggle, Irish spáirn, sbáirn, wrestling, struggling; from the Norse sporna, kick with the feet, struggle, sperna, kick, spurn, English spurn. Hennessey derived it from English sparring (Athen$$oeum, 15/8/71).
Etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language. Alexander Gairm Publications. 1982.