cionnas
Irish
Adverb
cionnas
- alternative form of conas (“how”)
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology
From Old Irish cindas; contraction of cia (“what, which”) + ionnas (“state, matter”). Cognate to Irish conas.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkʰʲũn̪ˠəs̪/
Adverb
cionnas
- (Lewis, Sutherland, Ross-shire) how, what manner, by what means
- Cionnas a tha thu ag ionnsachadh na Gàidhlig? ― By what means are you learning Gaelic?
- Cionnas a tha sibh? ― How are you?
Usage notes
- Typical of northern Highland dialects such as the MacKay Country dialect, also used in Lewis as well as dè man. Only rarely heard elsewhere, and if so considered high register.