meá

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mea"

Irish

Etymology 1

From earlier meadh, from Old Irish med, from Proto-Celtic *medā, from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“measure, consider”). Akin to meas.

Cognate with Old English metan, Latin modius, and Ancient Greek μέδιμνος (médimnos, “medimnus”). Compare Scottish Gaelic meidh.

Alternative forms

• meadh (superseded)
• meath

Pronunciation

The Caighdeán Oifigiúil spelling meá (with a long vowel) conflates Classical meadh and meadhadh. Despite the conflated standardised spelling meá, the pronunciation of meadh and meadhadh remain separate in all dialects with the occasional exception of Connemara where Classical -eadh/-eagh is more commonly pronounced with long /ɑː/ than short /æ(h)/ (both pronunciations are found), whereas Connemara -eadh-/-eagh- before a vowel has generally become long /ɑː/.

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /mʲæh/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /mʲæh/, /mʲɑː/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /mʲa(h)/
• Homophone: meath (some pronunciations)

Noun

meá f (genitive singular as substantive meá, genitive as verbal noun meáite, nominative plural meánna)

1. A scale, measure
2. weights
3. A balance
4. verbal noun of meáigh

Declension

Declension of meá (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative meá meánna vocative a mheá a mheánna genitive meá meánna dative meá meánna forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an mheá na meánna genitive na meá na meánna dative leis an meá don mheá leis na meánna

Derived terms

• an Mheá (“Libra”)
• cruinnmheá f (“precision balance”)
• droichead meáite (“weighbridge”)
• meá Rómhánach (“Roman balance, steel-yard, weigh-beam”)
• micrimheá f (“microbalance”)

Related terms

• meas

Etymology 2

From Old Irish mid, from Proto-Celtic *medu (“wine”), from Proto-Indo-European *médʰu (“honey; honey wine”). Cognate with Old English medu.

Alternative forms

• miodh (obsolete)
• meadh (superseded)

Noun

meá f (genitive singular meá, nominative plural meánna)

1. mead

Declension

Declension of meá (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative meá meánna vocative a mheá a mheánna genitive meá meánna dative meá meánna forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an mheá na meánna genitive na meá na meánna dative leis an meá don mheá leis na meánna

Mutation

Mutated forms of meá

radical	lenition	eclipsis
meá	mheá	not applicable

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

Spanish

Verb

meá

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of mear