gionach

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish ginach, ginech, genech, genach (“greedy, gaping; greed, voracity”), from gi(u)n (“mouth”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénus (“cheek, jaw, chin”). Compare Welsh gen (“cheek, chin”).

Adjective

gionach (genitive singular masculine gionaigh, genitive singular feminine gionaí, plural gionacha, comparative gionaí)

1. open-mouthed
2. greedy, voracious

Declension

Declension of gionach

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	gionach	ghionach	gionacha; ghionacha²
Vocative	ghionaigh		gionacha
Genitive		gionaí	gionacha	gionach
Dative	gionach; ghionach¹	ghionach; ghionaigh (archaic)	gionacha; ghionacha²
Comparative	níos gionaí
Superlative	is gionaí

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Noun

gionach f (genitive singular gionaí)

1. ravenous hunger; greed, voracity

Declension

Declension of gionach

Second declension

Bare forms (no plural form of this noun) Case Singular Nominative gionach Vocative a ghionach Genitive gionaí Dative gionach

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an ghionach Genitive na gionaí Dative leis an ngionach don ghionach

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
gionach	ghionach	ngionach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “gionach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “ginach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish ginach, ginech, genech, genach (“greedy, gaping”), from gi(u)n (“mouth”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵénus (“cheek, jaw, chin”). Compare Welsh gen (“cheek, chin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʲinəx/

Adjective

gionach (genitive singular feminine giniche, comparative giniche)

1. greedy, avaricious, gluttonous
2. ravenous, voracious, avid, keen

   leughadair gionach ― an avid reader

3. appetised
4. ambitious
5. keen

Synonyms

• (greedy): sanntach
• (ravenous): craosach
• (ambitious): dian-thograch

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
gionach	ghionach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

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