Espáin

Middle Irish

Alternative forms

• Espán

Etymology

From Old French Espaigne, from Latin Hispānia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈespaːnʲ/

Proper noun

Espáin f (genitive Espáine)

1. Spain (a country in Southern Europe, including most of the Iberian peninsula)

Derived terms

• Espáinech

Descendants

• Irish: An Spáinn
• Manx: Yn Spaainey
• Scottish Gaelic: An Spàinn, Spàinnt

However, the lack of initial E(a)- in the modern words suggests they may have been re-borrowed from (Middle) English rather than inherited from this form.

Mutation

Mutation of Espáin

radical	lenition	nasalization
Espáin (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	unchanged	nEspáin

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “Espáin, Espán”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language