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

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
ballán	bhallán	mballán
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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