fàinne
Scottish Gaelic edit
Etymology edit
From Old Irish áinne, from Proto-Celtic *ānniyos (“ring”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₂n- (“ring”). Possibly cognate with Latin ānus and Old Armenian անուր (anur). The initial f comes from a reinterpretation of áinne as fhàinne in leniting environments, leading to fàinne as a back-formation from this supposedly underlying form in nonleniting environments. Compare Irish fáinne.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
fàinne m or f (genitive singular fàinne, plural fàinneachan or fàinnean)
Derived terms edit
- fàinne-chluaise - earring
- fàinne-chraoibhe - tree ring
- fàinne-pòsaidh - wedding ring
- fàinne-solais - halo