milseán

See also: mìlsean

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish millsén (“sweetmeat, delicacy”) (compare Scottish Gaelic mìlsean). By surface analysis, milis (“sweet”) +‎ -án.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /mʲɪlʲˈʃaːn̪ˠ/
• (Cork) IPA^(key): /mʲiːʃˈlʲɑːn̪ˠ/ (by metathesis)
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈmʲɪlʲʃɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈmʲɪlʲʃæn̪ˠ/

Noun

milseán m (genitive singular milseáin, nominative plural milseáin)

1. (UK) sweet, bonbon, (US) candy
2. sweet dish, dessert

   Synonym: milseog

3. mannagrass
4. Alternative form of meilsceánach (“eelgrass, zostera”)

Declension

Declension of milseán (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative milseán milseáin vocative a mhilseáin a mhilseána genitive milseáin milseán dative milseán milseáin forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an milseán na milseáin genitive an mhilseáin na milseán dative leis an milseán don mhilseán leis na milseáin

Derived terms

• milseán beag (“small sweet-grass”)
• milseán bruite (“boiled sweet”)
• milseán casachta (“cough drop”)
• milseán géagach (“plicate sweet-grass”)
• milseán imreoige (“butterscotch”)
• milseán mara (“sea mat”)
• milseán móna (“marsh lousewort”)
• milseán mór (“great manna grass”)
• milseán uisce (“floating sweet-grass”)
• siopa milseán (“candy store, sweet shop, tuck shop”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of milseán

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