sionnach

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish sinnach.

Pronunciation

  • (Munster) IPA(key): /ʃɪˈn̪ˠɑx/
  • (Connacht) IPA(key): /ˈʃin̪ˠəx/
  • (Ulster) IPA(key): /ˈʃin̪ˠa(x)/

Noun

sionnach m (genitive singular sionnaigh, nominative plural sionnaigh)

  1. fox (any of the species in the tribe Vulpini)
  2. (specifically) red fox, Vulpes vulpes

Usage notes

As the red fox (V. vulpes) is the only species of fox found in Ireland, the term sionnach (and its synonyms madadh rua, madra rua) will almost always refer to the red fox. In contexts where it is necessary to distinguish the red fox from other species, the terms sionnach rua (literally red fox) and sionnach coiteann (literally common fox) may be used.

Declension

Declension of sionnach (first declension)
bare forms
singular plural
nominative sionnach sionnaigh
vocative a shionnaigh a shionnacha
genitive sionnaigh sionnach
dative sionnach sionnaigh
forms with the definite article
singular plural
nominative an sionnach na sionnaigh
genitive an tsionnaigh na sionnach
dative leis an sionnach
don sionnach
leis na sionnaigh

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • brocaire sionnach (fox terrier)
  • gadhar sionnach (foxhound)
  • sionnach Artach (Arctic fox)
  • sionnach bán (white fox)
  • sionnach coiteann (red fox)
  • sionnach geal (silver fox)
  • sionnach mara (thresher shark)
  • sionnach rua (red fox)

Mutation

Mutated forms of sionnach
radical lenition eclipsis
sionnach shionnach
after an, tsionnach
not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish sinnach, from Old Irish sinnach.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʃun̪ˠəx/

Noun

sionnach m

  1. fox
  2. bellows, valve

Declension

Declension of sionnach (type I masculine noun)
indefinite
singular plural
nominative sionnach sionnaich
genitive sionnaich shionnach
dative sionnach sionnaich; sionnachaibh
definite
singular plural
nominative (an) sionnach (na) sionnaich
genitive (an) t-sionnaich (nan) sionnach
dative (an) t-sionnach (na) sionnaich; sionnachaibh
vocative shionnaich shionnacha

obsolete form, used until the 19th century

Synonyms

Derived terms

Mutation

Mutation of sionnach
radical lenition
sionnach shionnach
after "an", t-sionnach

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

  • Colin Mark (2003) “sionnach”, in The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 529