Ironside

name, noun

name, noun ·3 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A trooper in the Parliamentarian cavalry formed by English political leader Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century, during the English Civil War. historical
  2. 2
    One who is very strong and courageous.

    "In his principles he was an ironside of the Cromwellian type."

  3. 3
    a man of great strength or bravery wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname from Old English.

Example

More examples

"In his principles he was an ironside of the Cromwellian type."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From iron + side, from a nickname of Oliver Cromwell's: "Old Ironsides".

Etymology 2

Two main origins: * Scottish habitational surname from a place in Aberdeenshire, named with Old English earn (“eagle”) + sīde (“flank, side of a hill”). * English surname from ironside, a nickname for a warrior.

Etymology 3

From Ironside.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.