Laigin

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish Laigin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈl͈aɣʲənʲ/

Proper noun

Laigin m pl

1. Leinstermen
2. (plural only) Leinster (a province of Ireland)
   • c. 1000, “The Tale of Mac Da Thó's Pig”, in Ernst Windisch, editor, Irische Texte, volume 1, published 1800, section 1:

     Boí rí amra for Laignib, .i. Mac Dathó a ainm.

     There was a wonderful king over Leinster; Mac Dathó was his name.

Declension

• Dative plural: Laignib

Descendants

• Irish: Laighin
• Manx: Lion
• Scottish Gaelic: Laighean

Mutation

Middle Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
Laigin	unchanged	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

See also

• Connachta
• Mumu
• Ulaid

Further reading

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

Old Irish

Etymology

From the early Celtic tribe the Laigin, probably from láigen (“spear”), which is probably from the same source that gave Celtiberian/Latin lancea (“light spear”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂k- (“to hit”) More at w:Laigin § Etymology.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈl͈aɣʲinʲ]

Proper noun

Laigin m pl

1. Leinstermen
   • c. 895–901, Vita tripartita Sancti Patricii, published in Bethu Phátraic: The tripartite life of Patrick (1939, Hodges, Figgis), edited and with translations by Kathleen Mulchrone, line 2234

     Is hé iarom in Fíacc sin epscop citaroir[d]ned la Laigniu.

     Fiacc is thereafter the first bishop among the Leinstermen to be ordained.

2. (plural only) Leinster (a province of Ireland)

Inflection

Masculine o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	—	—	LaiginL
Vocative	—	—	LaigniuH
Accusative	—	—	LaigniuH
Genitive	—	—	LaigenN
Dative	—	—	Laignib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Middle Irish: Laigin
  • Irish: Laighin
  • Manx: Lion
  • Scottish Gaelic: Laighean
• → Latin: Lagenia
• → Welsh: Llŷn

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
Laigin also Llaigin after a proclitic ending in a vowel	Laigin pronounced with /l(ʲ)-/	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

See also

• Connachta
• Mumu
• Ulaid

Further reading

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