splíonach

Irish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From splín (“weak, feeble”) +‎ -ach. The sense “peevish, melancholy (person)” is due to association with splín (“spleen”) (a loanword from English); compare English splenetic (“bad-tempered, irritable, peevish”).

Pronunciation

  • (Ulster) IPA(key): /ˈsˠpʲlʲiːnˠa(x)/[2]

Noun

splíonach m (genitive singular splíonaigh, nominative plural splíonaigh)

  1. carrion (rotting flesh)
  2. meagre, wretched person or animal
  3. peevish, melancholy person

Declension

Declension of splíonach (first declension)
bare forms
singular plural
nominative splíonach splíonaigh
vocative a splíonaigh a splíonacha
genitive splíonaigh splíonach
dative splíonach splíonaigh
forms with the definite article
singular plural
nominative an splíonach na splíonaigh
genitive an splíonaigh na splíonach
dative leis an splíonach
don splíonach 		leis na splíonaigh

Synonyms

Adjective

splíonach (genitive singular masculine splíonaigh, genitive singular feminine splíonaí, plural splíonacha, comparative splíonaí)

  1. peevish, melancholy

Declension

Declension of splíonach
Positive singular plural
masculine feminine strong noun weak noun
nominative splíonach splíonach splíonacha;
splíonacha2
vocative splíonaigh splíonacha
genitive splíonaí splíonacha splíonach
dative splíonach;
splíonach1 		splíonach;
splíonaigh (archaic) 		splíonacha;
splíonacha2
Comparative níos splíonaí
Superlative is splíonaí

1 When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
2 When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

References

  1. ^ “splíonach”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
  2. ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 474, page 151

Further reading

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