ceann

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish cenn, from Old Irish cenn (compare Manx kione), from Primitive Irish (attested in the personal names ᚉᚒᚅᚐ-ᚉᚓᚅᚅᚔ (cuna-cenni, literally “dog's head”) and ᚊᚓᚅᚑ-ᚃᚓᚅᚇᚐᚌᚅᚔ (qeno-vendagni, literally “little fair-headed one”)), from Proto-Celtic *kʷennom; compare Welsh pen, Breton penn.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /cɑun̪ˠ/
• (Galway) IPA^(key): /cɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Mayo) IPA^(key): /can̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /cɨ̞n̪ˠ/ (corresponding to the archaic dative cionn)

Noun

ceann m (genitive singular cinn, nominative plural cinn)

1. head
2. head of cabbage, capitulum
3. end, extremity
4. roof
5. one (modified by an adjective or demonstrative, referring to an object or animal)

   Tá ceann dearg agam.

   I have a red one [e.g. chair].

   Feicim trí cinn ghlasa.

   I see three green ones [e.g. birds].

   Is mian liom an ceann sin.

   I want that one [e.g. toy].

6. used as a dummy noun to support a number, referring to an object or animal

   Tá ceann amháin agam.

   I have one [e.g. chair].

   Feicim trí cinn.

   I see three [e.g. birds].

Declension

Declension of ceann (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative ceann cinn vocative a chinn a cheanna genitive cinn ceann dative ceann cinn forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an ceann na cinn genitive an chinn na gceann dative leis an gceann don cheann leis na cinn

• Alternative nominative/dative plural: ceanna (Cois Fharraige)
• Alternative dative singular: cionn (archaic except in fixed expressions)

Synonyms

• (head of cabbage): tor
• (head, roof): cloigeann (Ulster)

Derived terms

• ar ceann
• ardcheannach
• blaosc an chinn
• brat cinn
• ceann cait
• ceann tíre
• ceannadhairt
• ceannaigh
• ceannaimsir
• ceannairgead
• ceannas
• ceannbhalla
• ceannbheart
• ceanncheathrú
• ceannlampa
• chun cinn
• cró an chinn
• croscheann
• éadach cinn
• faoi cheann
• focheann
• foirceann
• i gceann (“at the end of; engaged in”)
• i ndiaidh do chinn
• iomaire cinn
• Iúr Cinn Trá (“Newry”)
• Maolcheann
• mírcheann
• mórcheannach
• néarcheann
• os cionn
• rópa cinn
• siorc ceann casúir
• tinneas cinn (“headache”)

 

Mutation

Mutated forms of ceann

radical	lenition	eclipsis
ceann	cheann	gceann

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) “ceann”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish and Old Irish cenn (compare Manx kione), from Primitive Irish ᚉᚒᚅᚐ-ᚉᚓᚅᚅᚔ (cuna-cenni), from Proto-Celtic *kʷennom (compare Welsh pen, Breton penn).

Pronunciation

• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /kʲʰãũn̪ˠ/
• (Uist, Barra) IPA^(key): /kʲʰɛun̪ˠ/

Noun

ceann m (genitive singular cinn, plural cinn)

1. head (of a body or a group of people)
2. end (the extreme part of something)

Usage notes

• According to context the word can denote the farthest part of anything - top of a road, bottom of a stair, a promontory, hilt of a sword etc.

  ceann a' bhocsa ― the lid of the box

  ceann na creige ― the top of the rock

• Also frequently used figuratively.

  bho cheann gu ceann ― from end to end

  an ceann greise ― after a while

Declension

Declension of ceann (type I masculine noun)

Indefinite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	ceann	cinn
Genitive	cinn	cheann
Dative	ceann	cinn; ceannaibh✝
Definite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	(an) ceann	(na) cinn
Genitive	(a') chinn	(nan) ceann
Dative	(a') cheann	(na) cinn; ceannaibh✝
Vocative	chinn	cheanna

^✝ obsolete form, used until the 19th century

Derived terms

• aig a' cheann thall (“in the long run”)
• airgead-ceann m (“reward offered for the head of a rebel or outlaw”)
• an ceann a chéile (“together”, adverb)
• an ceann (“ahead”, adverb)
• an ceann (“in the end, at the expiration of”)
• bàrr a' chinn (“crown of head”)
• buail an ceann (“occur, come to mind”)
• bun os ceann (“upside down, topsy-turvy”, adverb)
• cailleachag a' chinn duibh (“coal tit”)
• cailleachag a' chinn ghuirm (“blue tit”)
• ceann a' chnac m (“thwart-brace of a boat”)
• ceann a' chraidh m (“thwart-brace of boat”)
• ceann air chrith m (“quaking grass”)
• ceann simileir (“chimney pot”)
• ceann-achra m (“epiphany”)
• ceann-adhairt m (“pillow; bed-head”)
• ceann-aghaidh f (“forehead; countenance, physiognomy”)
• ceann-aimsir m (“date, epoch, era; term, period”)
• ceann-aimsreach m (“term-day”)
• ceann-airm m (“general, head of an army”)
• ceann-ama (“deadline”)
• ceann-aobhair m (“prime cause, first cause”)
• ceann-aodach m (“head-dress; mitre; turban”)
• ceann-àrd (“high-headed”, adj)
• ceann-armailt m (“general, commander of an array”)
• ceann-bàn a' mhonaidh m (“cotton-sedge”)
• ceann-barrach m (“jack-fish, dike”)
• ceann-bheart m (“helmet, head-piece”)
• ceann-bhiorach (“conical, pointed at the head”, adj)
• ceann-bhrat m (“canopy”)
• ceann-cinnidh (“chieftain”)
• ceann-daoraich (“hangover”)
• ceann-dubhag an t-seilich (“willow tit”)
• ceann-dubhag (“marsh tit”)
• ceann-latha (“date”)
• ceann-na-cìche (“nipple”)
• ceann-rèile (“railway terminal”)
• ceann-sgrìobhadh (“caption; motto; subject”)
• ceann-suidhe (“president”)
• ceannard (“chief, boss”)
• ceannfhacal (“headword”)
• dì-cheann (“behead”)
• gealag-dhubh-cheannach (“reed bunting”)
• gnogadh cinn (“nod”, noun)
• iar-cheann-suidhe (“vice president”)
• os cionn (“above”)
• sgarfa-cinn (“headscarf”)

 

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “ceann”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[2], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cenn”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language