meánach

Irish

Alternative forms

• meadhónach (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old Irish medónach (compare Scottish Gaelic meadhanach). By surface analysis, meán (“middle; mean; medium; average”) +‎ -ach (adjectival suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈmʲɑːn̪ˠəx/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈmʲɑːnˠəx/, /ˈmʲɑːn̪ˠəx/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈmʲæːnˠa(x)/, /ˈmʲæːn̪ˠa(x)/

Adjective

meánach (genitive singular masculine meánaigh, genitive singular feminine meánaí, plural meánacha, comparative meánaí)

1. middle, intermediate, central, medial
2. medium, average; moderate
3. mean

Declension

Declension of meánach

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	meánach	mheánach	meánacha; mheánacha²
Vocative	mheánaigh		meánacha
Genitive		meánaí	meánacha	meánach
Dative	meánach; mheánach¹	mheánach; mheánaigh (archaic)	meánacha; mheánacha²
Comparative	níos meánaí
Superlative	is meánaí

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

Synonyms

• (mean, medial, average, medium): meán-
• (middle): lár

Derived terms

• an Baile Meánach (“Ballymena”)
• fomheánach (“submediant”, adjective)
• neamh-mheánach (“immediate”)
• néaróg mheánach f (“median nerve”)

 

Noun

meánach m (genitive singular meánaigh, nominative plural meánaigh)

1. (music) mediant

Declension

Declension of meánach

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative meánach meánaigh Vocative a mheánaigh a mheánacha Genitive meánaigh meánach Dative meánach meánaigh

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an meánach na meánaigh Genitive an mheánaigh na meánach Dative leis an meánach don mheánach leis na meánaigh

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
meánach	mheánach	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “meánach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “medónach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “meánach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “meánach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024