cúan

See also: cuan, cuàn, cuán, cuān, and cúán

Middle Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish cúan.

Noun

cúan f

1. litter
2. pack
3. band
4. family

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *kawnos, from Proto-Indo-European *kapno-, from *keh₂p- (“to grasp”).

Noun

cúan m

1. bay
2. gulf
3. harbour

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Irish: cuan
• Manx: keayn
• Scottish Gaelic: cuan

Mutation

Middle Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
cúan	chúan	cúan pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• (litter, pack): Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cúan”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• (bay, gulf): Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 cúan”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Irish

Etymology

If the original sense was "pack of animals, pups," formed from cú (“dog”). Or otherwise from Proto-Celtic *kounos, from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂wp-o-, which is related to Proto-Slavic *kupъ (“heap”), possibly also Proto-Germanic *haupaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuːa̯n/

Noun

cúan f

1. litter
2. pack
3. band
4. family

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	cúanL	cúainL	cúanaH
Vocative	cúanL	cúainL	cúanaH
Accusative	cúainN	cúainL	cúanaH
Genitive	cúaineH	cúanL	cúanN
Dative	cúainL	cúanaib	cúanaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Middle Irish: cúan

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
cúan	chúan	cúan pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• (litter, pack): Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cúan”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language