Dictionary entry

Fenian

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Fe″ni‐an (?), n. [From the Finians or Fenii, the old militia of Ireland, who were so called from Fin or Finn, Fionn, or Fingal, a popular hero of Irish traditional history.] A member of a secret organization, consisting mainly of Irishmen, having for its aim the overthrow of English rule in Ireland.