cailín

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Irish

Etymology

From caile (“maid”) +‎ -ín (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

Noun

cailín m (genitive singular cailín, nominative plural cailíní)

  1. girl; young, unmarried woman
    Synonyms: gearrchaile, girseach
  2. girlfriend
    Synonym: girseach
  3. female servant, maid
  4. useful thing (referring to a feminine noun)
    Is í an druil an cailín chun na hoibre.
    The drill is the right tool for the job.

Usage notes

  • Cailín is masculine because of the suffix -ín. Nevertheless, the feminine pronouns sí and í are used to refer to it.

Declension

Declension of cailín (fourth declension)
bare forms
case singular plural
nominative cailín cailíní
vocative a chailín a chailíní
genitive cailín cailíní
dative cailín cailíní
forms with the definite article
case singular plural
nominative an cailín na cailíní
genitive an chailín na gcailíní
dative leis an gcailín
don chailín 		leis na cailíní

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → English: colleen
  • Shelta: lakeen

Mutation

Mutated forms of cailín
radical lenition eclipsis
cailín chailín gcailín

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

References

  1. ^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 78
  2. ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 45

Further reading

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