gearrán

See also: gearran and Gearran

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish gerrán. By surface analysis, gearr (“short”) +‎ -án.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ɟəˈɾˠɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ɟəˈɾˠɑːnˠ/, /ɟəˈɾˠɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈɟaɾˠanˠ/, /ˈɟaɾˠan̪ˠ/
• Homophone: gearán

Noun

gearrán m (genitive singular gearráin, nominative plural gearráin)

1. gelding
   • 1906, E. C. Quiggin, “Áindrías an Ime”, in A Dialect of Donegal: Being the Speech of Meenawannia in the Parish of Glenties, page 196:

     Seachtmhain roimhe Shamhain chuaidh an Seónstanach siar ⁊ seacht ngearráin ⁊ péire cliabh air ghach gearrán fá choinne a chuid ime.

     A week before Samhain, Johnstone went back with seven geldings and a pair of panniers on each gelding for his butter.

2. garron
3. (derogatory) lesbian, dyke

Declension

Declension of gearrán (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative gearrán gearráin vocative a ghearráin a ghearrána genitive gearráin gearrán dative gearrán gearráin forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an gearrán na gearráin genitive an ghearráin na ngearrán dative leis an ngearrán don ghearrán leis na gearráin

Descendants

• → English: garron
• → Fingallian: garrane
• → Yola: garraane, garrane

Mutation

Mutated forms of gearrán

radical	lenition	eclipsis
gearrán	ghearrán	ngearrán

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) “gearrán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “gearrán”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “gearrán”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025