caoin

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kiːnʲ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish caín.

Adjective

caoin (genitive singular masculine caoin, genitive singular feminine caoine, plural caoine, comparative caoine)

1. smooth, delicate, polished
2. kind, gentle, refined

Declension

Declension of caoin

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	caoin	chaoin	caoine; chaoine²
Vocative	chaoin		caoine
Genitive		caoine	caoine	caoin
Dative	caoin; chaoin¹	chaoin	caoine; chaoine²
Comparative	níos caoine
Superlative	is caoine

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 Middle Irish caín (“smooth finished side; especially the outer surface of a wall, etc.”), a substantivization of caín (“fine, beautiful”).

Noun

caoin f (genitive singular caoine)

1. smooth surface

Declension

Declension of caoin

Second declension

Bare forms (no plural form of this noun) Case Singular Nominative caoin Vocative a chaoin Genitive caoine Dative caoin

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an chaoin Genitive na caoine Dative leis an gcaoin don chaoin

Etymology 3

From Middle Irish caínid, from Old Irish coínid, from Brythonic (compare Welsh cwyn (“lament”)).

Verb

caoin (present analytic caoineann, future analytic caoinfidh, verbal noun caoineadh, past participle caointe)

1. (transitive, intransitive) keen, lament
2. (transitive, intransitive) cry, weep

Conjugation

conjugation of caoin (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	caoinim	caoineann tú; caoinir†	caoineann sé, sí	caoinimid	caoineann sibh	caoineann siad; caoinid†	a chaoineann; a chaoineas / a gcaoineann*; a gcaoineas*	caointear
	past	chaoin mé; chaoineas	chaoin tú; chaoinis	chaoin sé, sí	chaoineamar; chaoin muid	chaoin sibh; chaoineabhair	chaoin siad; chaoineadar	a chaoin / ar chaoin*	caoineadh
	past habitual	chaoininn / gcaoininn‡‡	chaointeá / gcaointeᇇ	chaoineadh sé, sí / gcaoineadh sé, s퇇	chaoinimis; chaoineadh muid / gcaoinimis‡‡; gcaoineadh muid‡‡	chaoineadh sibh / gcaoineadh sibh‡‡	chaoinidís; chaoineadh siad / gcaoinidís‡‡; gcaoineadh siad‡‡	a chaoineadh / a gcaoineadh*	chaointí / gcaoint퇇
future		caoinfidh mé; caoinfead	caoinfidh tú; caoinfir†	caoinfidh sé, sí	caoinfimid; caoinfidh muid	caoinfidh sibh	caoinfidh siad; caoinfid†	a chaoinfidh; a chaoinfeas / a gcaoinfidh*; a gcaoinfeas*	caoinfear
conditional		chaoinfinn / gcaoinfinn‡‡	chaoinfeá / gcaoinfeᇇ	chaoinfeadh sé, sí / gcaoinfeadh sé, s퇇	chaoinfimis; chaoinfeadh muid / gcaoinfimis‡‡; gcaoinfeadh muid‡‡	chaoinfeadh sibh / gcaoinfeadh sibh‡‡	chaoinfidís; chaoinfeadh siad / gcaoinfidís‡‡; gcaoinfeadh siad‡‡	a chaoinfeadh / a gcaoinfeadh*	chaoinfí / gcaoinf퇇
subjunctive	present	go gcaoine mé; go gcaoinead†	go gcaoine tú; go gcaoinir†	go gcaoine sé, sí	go gcaoinimid; go gcaoine muid	go gcaoine sibh	go gcaoine siad; go gcaoinid†	—	go gcaointear
	past	dá gcaoininn	dá gcaointeá	dá gcaoineadh sé, sí	dá gcaoinimis; dá gcaoineadh muid	dá gcaoineadh sibh	dá gcaoinidís; dá gcaoineadh siad	—	dá gcaointí
imperative		caoinim	caoin	caoineadh sé, sí	caoinimis	caoinigí; caoinidh†	caoinidís	—	caointear
verbal noun		caoineadh
past participle		caointe

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Related terms

• éagaoin

Descendants

• → English: keen

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
caoin	chaoin	gcaoin
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “caoin”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 caín”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 caín”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “caínid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “caoin”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “caoin”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 55

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʰɯːɲ/

Etymology 1

From Middle Irish caínid, from Old Irish coínid, from Brythonic (compare Welsh cwyn (“lament”)).

Verb

caoin (past chaoin, future caoinidh, verbal noun caoineadh, past participle caointe)

1. mourn, lament, grieve

   Synonym: caoidh

2. cry, weep

   Synonym: guil

Etymology 2

From Middle Irish caín (“smooth finished side; especially the outer surface of a wall, etc.”), a substantivization of caín (“fine, beautiful”).

Noun

caoin f (genitive singular caoine, no plural)

1. exterior, outer side (of garment)

   Antonym: ascaoin

Derived terms

• caoin air ascaoin (“inside out”)

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
caoin	chaoin
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “caoin”, 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), “2 caín”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “caínid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language