balbhán

See also: balbhan

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish *balbán (compare Scottish Gaelic balbhan), synchronically balbh (“dumb, mute; inarticulate; dull; silent”) +‎ -án.

Pronunciation

• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈbˠɔlˠəwanˠ/, /ˈbˠɔl̪ˠəwan̪ˠ/ (as if spelled bolbhán)

Noun

balbhán m (genitive singular balbháin, nominative plural balbháin)

1. dumb person, mute
2. silent person
3. stammerer
4. (card games) dummy

Declension

Declension of balbhán

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative balbhán balbháin Vocative a bhalbháin a bhalbhána Genitive balbháin balbhán Dative balbhán balbháin

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an balbhán na balbháin Genitive an bhalbháin na mbalbhán Dative leis an mbalbhán don bhalbhán leis na balbháin

Derived terms

• balbhán béice m (“puffball”)

Related terms

• balbhántaíocht f (“dumbness, muteness; stammering”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
balbhán	bhalbhán	mbalbhán
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “balbhán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “balbán”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language