ballán

See also: ballan and Ballan

Irish

Alternative forms

• bullán

Etymology

From Middle Irish ballán, perhaps from ball (“organ”).

Pronunciation

• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈbˠʊl̪ˠɑːn/ (corresponding to the form bullán)
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈbˠal̪ˠanˠ/, /ˈbˠal̪ˠan̪ˠ/

Noun

ballán m (genitive singular balláin, nominative plural balláin)

1. drinking vessel
2. cup-shaped hole in a rock
3. teat, pap

Declension

Declension of ballán (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative ballán balláin vocative a bhalláin a bhallána genitive balláin ballán dative ballán balláin forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an ballán na balláin genitive an bhalláin na mballán dative leis an mballán don bhallán leis na balláin

Derived terms

• banbh balláin (“suckling pig”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of ballán

radical	lenition	eclipsis
ballán	bhallán	mballán

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

Further reading

• “ballán”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “ballán”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “ballán”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 51
• Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 79