laprachán

Irish

Etymology

From lapaire (“toddler”) +‎ -achán. Sjoestedt-Jonval glosses the term as “lutin, kobold”, suggesting that in the dialect she is describing it has been conflated with luprachán, an alternative form of lucharachán (“leprechaun”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈl̪ˠɑpˠəɾˠəxɑ̃ːn̪ˠ/

Noun

laprachán m (genitive singular lapracháin, nominative plural lapracháin)

1. toddler
2. a person crawling on all fours
3. a person with clumsy hands

Declension

Declension of laprachán (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative laprachán lapracháin vocative a lapracháin a laprachána genitive lapracháin laprachán dative laprachán lapracháin forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an laprachán na lapracháin genitive an lapracháin na laprachán dative leis an laprachán don laprachán leis na lapracháin

Synonyms

• (toddler): lapadán

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “lapraċán”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “laprachán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN