meán

See also: mean and meán-

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese meão, from Latin mediānus. Doublet of mediano.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈaŋ/

Noun

meán m (plural meáns)

1. chain or strap that connects both rigid parts of a flail

   Synonyms: cedoiro, loro

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “meao”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “meao”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “mean”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Irish

Alternative forms

• meon
• meadhón (superseded)
• meadhan, meadhán, meadhon, meadhón, meádhon, meadon, medhon, medhón, meodhan, meódhan, meón (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old Irish medón, from Latin mediānus. Cognate with English mean. Compare Scottish Gaelic meadhan.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /mʲɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /mʲɑːnˠ/, /mʲɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /mʲaːnˠ/, /mʲaːn̪ˠ/

Adjective

meán (genitive singular masculine meáin, genitive singular feminine meáine, plural meána, comparative meáine)

1. mid, central
2. middle
3. average

Declension

Declension of meán

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	meán	mheán	meána; mheána²
Vocative	mheáin		meána
Genitive		meáne	meána	meán
Dative	meán; mheán¹	mheán; mheáin (archaic)	meána; mheána²
Comparative	níos meáne
Superlative	is meáne

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

Noun

meán m (genitive singular meáin, nominative plural meáin)

1. middle
2. (mathematics) mean
3. medium
4. average
5. (anatomy) middle, waist
6. middle zone

Declension

Declension of meán

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative meán meáin Vocative a mheáin a mheána Genitive meáin meán Dative meán meáin

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an meán na meáin Genitive an mheáin na meán Dative leis an meán don mheán leis na meáin

Derived terms

• Meán Fómhair
• meán lae (“midday”)
• meán oíche
• meán-
• meánach

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
meán	mheán	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “meán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “meaḋón”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 472