meall

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /mʲaul̪ˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /mʲɑːl̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /mʲol̪ˠ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish mell (“a ball, sphere, round mass; a round protuberance, swelling”), from Proto-Celtic *melsā (“knuckle”), from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“limb, joint”), see also Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos), Gaulish placename Melodunum.

Noun

meall m (genitive singular mill, nominative plural meallta)

1. ball, globe
   1. prominent, fleshy part
   2. protuberance, projection
   3. tumour, swelling; (plural) mumps
   4. (topography) knoll, mound
2. lump, mass

Declension

Declension of meall

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative meall meallta Vocative a mhill a mhealla Genitive mill meall Dative meall meallta

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an meall na meallta Genitive an mhill na meall Dative leis an meall don mheall leis na meallta

Derived terms

• an meall is mó ar deireadh (“last but not least”)
• cruinnmheall (“round mass; globe”)
• meall brád
• meall coise
• meall gorm
• meall guail
• meall mór
• meall na gréine
• meall sneachta
• meall súile

 

Verb

meall (present analytic meallann, future analytic meallfaidh, verbal noun mealladh, past participle meallta) (transitive, intransitive)

1. beguile, charm; entice
2. delude, deceive; disappoint

Conjugation

conjugation of meall (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	meallaim	meallann tú; meallair†	meallann sé, sí	meallaimid	meallann sibh	meallann siad; meallaid†	a mheallann; a mheallas / a meallann*	mealltar
	past	mheall mé; mheallas	mheall tú; mheallais	mheall sé, sí	mheallamar; mheall muid	mheall sibh; mheallabhair	mheall siad; mhealladar	a mheall / ar mheall*	mealladh
	past habitual	mheallainn / meallainn‡‡	mhealltá / mealltᇇ	mhealladh sé, sí / mealladh sé, s퇇	mheallaimis; mhealladh muid / meallaimis‡‡; mealladh muid‡‡	mhealladh sibh / mealladh sibh‡‡	mheallaidís; mhealladh siad / meallaidís‡‡; mealladh siad‡‡	a mhealladh / a mealladh*	mhealltaí / meallta퇇
future		meallfaidh mé; meallfad	meallfaidh tú; meallfair†	meallfaidh sé, sí	meallfaimid; meallfaidh muid	meallfaidh sibh	meallfaidh siad; meallfaid†	a mheallfaidh; a mheallfas / a meallfaidh*	meallfar
conditional		mheallfainn / meallfainn‡‡	mheallfá / meallfᇇ	mheallfadh sé, sí / meallfadh sé, s퇇	mheallfaimis; mheallfadh muid / meallfaimis‡‡; meallfadh muid‡‡	mheallfadh sibh / meallfadh sibh‡‡	mheallfaidís; mheallfadh siad / meallfaidís‡‡; meallfadh siad‡‡	a mheallfadh / a meallfadh*	mheallfaí / meallfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go mealla mé; go meallad†	go mealla tú; go meallair†	go mealla sé, sí	go meallaimid; go mealla muid	go mealla sibh	go mealla siad; go meallaid†	—	go mealltar
	past	dá meallainn	dá mealltá	dá mealladh sé, sí	dá meallaimis; dá mealladh muid	dá mealladh sibh	dá meallaidís; dá mealladh siad	—	dá mealltaí
imperative		meallaim	meall	mealladh sé, sí	meallaimis	meallaigí; meallaidh†	meallaidís	—	mealltar
verbal noun		mealladh
past participle		meallta

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

Etymology 2

Adjective

meall (genitive singular masculine mill, genitive singular feminine mille, plural mealla, comparative mille)

1. Alternative form of meallach (“beguiling, pleasant, delightful”)

Declension

Declension of meall

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	meall	mheall	mealla; mhealla²
Vocative	mhill		mealla
Genitive		mealle	mealla	meall
Dative	meall; mheall¹	mheall; mhill (archaic)	mealla; mhealla²
Comparative	níos mealle
Superlative	is mealle

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

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
meall	mheall	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) “meall”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 mell”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• 💬 at 2022 Phonetics and Speech Laboratory

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish mell, from Proto-Celtic *melsā (“knuckle”), from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“limb, joint”), see also Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos), Gaulish placename Melodunum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mjaul̪ˠ/, /mɛul̪ˠ/

Noun

meall m (genitive singular mill, plural mill)

1. lump
2. hill
3. large number
4. (weather) shower (of rain)

Derived terms

• meallan
• meall-sgòrnain

Verb

meall (past mheall, future meallaidh, verbal noun mealladh, past participle meallta)

1. deceive, trick, cheat
2. entice, beguile, inveigle
3. seduce, charm, tempt

Derived terms

• mealltach

References

• MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “meall”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎^[1], Stirling, →ISBN