leathéan

Irish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle Irish lethén.[2] By surface analysis, leath- (“one of a pair”) +‎ éan (“bird”).

Pronunciation

Noun

leathéan m (genitive singular leathéin, nominative plural leathéin)

  1. one of a pair of birds, a bird's mate
    Canann an filiméala fireann chun leathéan a fháil.
    The male nightingale sings to find a mate.
  2. (figurative) unmarried person (past the usual marriageable age); a bachelor or spinster

Declension

Declension of leathéan (first declension)
bare forms
singular plural
nominative leathéan leathéin
vocative a leathéin a leathéana
genitive leathéin leathéan
dative leathéan leathéin
forms with the definite article
singular plural
nominative an leathéan na leathéin
genitive an leathéin na leathéan
dative leis an leathéan
don leathéan 		leis na leathéin

References

  1. ^ “leathéan”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
  2. ^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “leth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
  3. ^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 242, page 122

Further reading

  • Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “leaṫ-éan”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 649; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
  • Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “leathéan”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
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