seileán

Irish

Etymology

Perhaps from a variant form of Middle Irish teillenn (“swarm of bees”). Compare Manx shellan (“bee”) and Scottish Gaelic seillean (“bee; heath or field-bee”).

Noun

seileán m (genitive singular seileáin, nominative plural seileáin)

1. (wild) honey bee

Declension

Declension of seileán

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative seileán seileáin Vocative a sheileáin a sheileána Genitive seileáin seileán Dative seileán seileáin

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an seileán na seileáin Genitive an tseileáin na seileán Dative leis an seileán don seileán leis na seileáin

Derived terms

• cathair seileán (“swarming-place of bees”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
seileán	sheileán after an, tseileán	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) “seileán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN