caisleán

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish caislén, from Old Irish caisel (from Anglo-Norman castel, from Latin castellum). By surface analysis, caiseal +‎ -án.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /kəˈʃlʲɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈkaʃl̠ʲɑːnˠ/, /ˈkaʃl̠ʲɑːn̪ˠ/; /ˈkʊʃl̠ʲɑːnˠ/, /ˈkʊʃl̠ʲɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈkaʃl̠ʲanˠ/, /ˈkaʃl̠ʲan̪ˠ/

Noun

caisleán m (genitive singular caisleáin, nominative plural caisleáin)

1. castle (fortified building)
2. mansion
3. (meteorology, of cloud) cumulus

Declension

Declension of caisleán

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative caisleán caisleáin Vocative a chaisleáin a chaisleána Genitive caisleáin caisleán Dative caisleán caisleáin

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an caisleán na caisleáin Genitive an chaisleáin na gcaisleán Dative leis an gcaisleán don chaisleán leis na caisleáin

Derived terms

• caisleáin óir (“sunset clouds; castles in the air”)
• caisleán cártaí (“house of cards”)
• caisleánach (“containing castles”, adjective)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
caisleán	chaisleán	gcaisleán
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “caisleán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN