binn

See also: Binn.

English

Noun

binn (plural binns)

1. Archaic spelling of bin (“storage container for wine, etc.”).
   • 1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:

     Mr. Tulkinghorn sits at one of the open windows, enjoying a bottle of old port. Though a hard-grained man, close, dry, and silent, he can enjoy old wine with the best. He has a priceless binn of port in some artful cellar under the Fields, which is one of his many secrets.

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Waterford) IPA^(key): /bʲaiɲ/
• (Kerry) IPA^(key): /bʲiːnʲ/
• (Galway) IPA^(key): /bʲiːn̠ʲ/
• (Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /bʲɪn̠ʲ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish bind, binn (“melodious, harmonious; sweet, pleasing”), from Proto-Celtic *bandis (“harmonious, melodious”), probably related to etymology 2 (“peak, summit”).

Adjective

binn (genitive singular masculine binn, genitive singular feminine binne, plural binne, comparative binne)

1. (of music) sweet, melodious, harmonious

Declension

Declension of binn

Positive	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	binn	bhinn	binne; bhinne2
vocative	bhinn		binne
genitive		binne	binne	binn
dative	binn; bhinn1	bhinn	binne; bhinne2
Comparative	níos binne
Superlative	is binne

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

Etymology 2

From Old Irish benn, from Proto-Celtic *bandā (“peak, top”).

Noun

binn f (genitive singular binne, nominative plural beanna)

1. peak, tip, summit (of a mountain or hill)
2. (architecture) corner, gable
3. pinnacle
4. horn
5. (figuratively) stanza, couplet

Declension

Declension of binn (second declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative binn beanna vocative a bhinn a bheanna genitive binne beann dative binn beanna forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an bhinn na beanna genitive na binne na mbeann dative leis an mbinn don bhinn leis na beanna

Derived terms

• binn siosúir f (“blade of scissors”)
• binn tí f (“gable end”)
• biorbheannach m (“pronghorn”)

Related terms

• beann

Mutation

Mutated forms of binn

radical	lenition	eclipsis
binn	bhinn	mbinn

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

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “binn”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “binn”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “binn”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025

Old English

Etymology 1

From a Celtic language, possibly Proto-Brythonic *benn (“cart, carriage”) (whence Middle Welsh benn, modern Welsh ben), from Proto-Celtic *bend(n)ā (whence Gaulish benna).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /binn/, [bin]

Noun

binn f

1. stall

Etymology 2

Noun

binn f

1. manger, crib, basket
   • late 9th century, Old English Martyrology

     Ond on þone ylcan dæġ Crīst ġerēorde fīf þūsenda wera of fīf hlāfum ond of twām fisċum, ēac wīfum ond ċildum, þāra wæs unġerīm, ond þāra hlāfġebroca wæs tō lāfe twelf binna fulle.

     And on the same day, Christ fed five thousand men and numerous women and children with five loaves of bread and two fishes, and the remaining fragments of bread filled twelve baskets.

Declension

Strong ō-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	binn	binna, binne
accusative	binne	binna, binne
genitive	binne	binna
dative	binne	binnum

Descendants

• English: bin

References

• Joseph Bosworth, T. Northcote Toller (1898) “bin”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b̥iːɲ/
• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /b̥ə̃ĩɲ/, /b̥ẽĩɲ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish bind, binn (“melodious, harmonious; sweet, pleasing”), from Proto-Celtic *bandis (“harmonious, melodious”), probably related to Irish binn (“peak, summit”).

Adjective

binn (comparative binne)

1. melodious, musical, tuneful, dulcet, sweet

   èist ri òran binn nan eun ― listen to the sweet song of the birds

2. shrill
3. harmonious

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *bendi, *benni, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to speak”), see also Sanskrit भान (bhāna, “evidence”), English ban (“public proclamation, edict”).

Noun

binn f (genitive singular binne, plural binnean)

1. (law) sentence, judgement, verdict, decision, condemnation
2. fate
3. melody
4. hopper of a mill

Mutation

Mutation of binn

radical	lenition
binn	bhinn

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

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “binn”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “binn (‘melodious, harmonious’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language