aiteann

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish aiten m (“furze, gorse”), from Proto-Celtic *axtīnos (“furze, gorse”) (compare Welsh eithin), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱstis (compare Lithuanian aksti̇̀s (“thorn”), Russian ость (ostʹ, “awn, bristle”)), enlargement of *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”).

Pronunciation

• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈætʲən̪ˠ/

Noun

aiteann m (genitive singular aitinn, nominative plural aitinn) or
aiteann f (genitive singular aitinne) (feminine in Connacht and Ulster)

1. furze, gorse, whin
   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 31:

     tā æcn̥̄ ə fās sə ŋort šə.

     [Tá aiteann ag fás sa ngort seo.]

     Furze is growing in this field.

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 31:

     dā jēŕ n̥ køln̄, tā æcn̥̄ xō ǵēŕ leš.

     [Dá ghéar an cuileann, tá aiteann ag chomh géar leis.]

     However sharp the holly is, furze is just as sharp.

Declension

Declension as masculine

Declension of aiteann (first declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative aiteann aitinn vocative a aitinn a aiteanna genitive aitinn aiteann dative aiteann aitinn forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an t-aiteann na haitinn genitive an aitinn na n-aiteann dative leis an aiteann don aiteann leis na haitinn

Declension as feminine

Declension of aiteann (second declension, no plural)

bare forms singular nominative aiteann vocative a aiteann genitive aitinne dative aiteann forms with the definite article singular nominative an aiteann genitive na haitinne dative leis an aiteann don aiteann

Derived terms

• aiteann francach (“tall furze”)
• aiteann gaelach (“dwarf whin”)
• aiteann gallda (“tall furze”)
• aiteann mín (“dwarf whin”)
• aiteann Muire (“club moss”)
• aiteannach f (“furze, gorse, whins (collective)”)
• caislín aitinn (“whinchat”)
• scothán aitinn (“furze bush”)
• tom aitinn (“whin-bush”)
• tor aitinn (“whin-bush”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of aiteann

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
aiteann	n-aiteann	haiteann	t-aiteann

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “aiteann”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• aitionn

Etymology

From Old Irish aiten m (“furze, gorse”), from Proto-Celtic *axtīnos (“furze, gorse”) (compare Welsh eithin), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱstis (compare Lithuanian aksti̇̀s (“thorn”), Russian ость (ostʹ, “awn, bristle”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”).

Noun

aiteann m (genitive singular aitinn, plural aitinn)

1. juniper

Mutation

Mutation of aiteann

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
aiteann	n-aiteann	h-aiteann	t-aiteann

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “aiteann”, 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), “aittenn”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language