fiann
Irish
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old Irish fían, from Proto-Celtic *weinā (“band of warriors”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- (“to chase, pursue”). Cognate with Latin vēnor (“I hunt”), Old English wynn (“joy, desire”) and Old Norse vinr (“friend”).
Noun
fiann f (genitive singular féinne, nominative plural fianna)
- roving band of warrior-hunters
- band of soldiers
- (by extension) band, group
- Bíonn fiann pleotaí ag crochadh thart timpeall an bpub. ― There's usually a band of gobshites hanging around the pub.
Declension
Derived terms
- Amhrán na bhFiann
- fiann fichille (“set of chessmen”)
- Fianna Éireann (national insurrectionary scout body)
- Fianna Fáil (political party)
- Fianna Fhinn (“legendary warrior-bands of Fionn Mac Cumhaill”)
- fiannas m (“military service”)
- na Fianna (“legendary warrior-bands of Fionn Mac Cumhaill”)
Related terms
- féinní m (“roving warrior”)
- fiannach (“pertaining to warrior bands”, adjective)
- fiannaí m (“storyteller”)
- fiannaíocht f (“service in a warrior band”)
- fiannlaoch m (“member of warrior band”)
Noun
fiann m
- (obsolete, rare)
Mutation
| radical | lenition | eclipsis |
|---|---|---|
| fiann | fhiann | bhfiann |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Further reading
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “fían”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “fiann”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 451; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
- de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “fiann”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “fiann”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “fiann”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language[1], Stirling, →ISBN