seileán

Irish

Etymology

Perhaps from a variant form of Middle Irish teillenn (“swarm of bees”). Compare Manx shellan (“bee”) and Scottish Gaelic seillean (“bee; heath or field-bee”).

Noun

seileán m (genitive singular seileáin, nominative plural seileáin)

1. (wild) honey bee

Declension

Declension of seileán (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative seileán seileáin vocative a sheileáin a sheileána genitive seileáin seileán dative seileán seileáin forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an seileán na seileáin genitive an tseileáin na seileán dative leis an seileán don seileán leis na seileáin

Derived terms

• cathair seileán (“swarming-place of bees”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of seileán

radical	lenition	eclipsis
seileán	sheileán after an, tseileán	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “seileán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN