bonnán buí

Irish

Alternative forms

• buinneán buí

Etymology

Literally, “yellow bittern”; however, it is unlikely to refer to the bird known in English as the yellow bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis), which is native to Central and East Asia and unknown in Ireland. Dictionaries gloss bonnán buí (and bonnán léana (literally “water-meadow bittern”)) simply as “bittern”, but it probably refers specifically to the common, Eurasian or great bittern (Botaurus stellaris), which was common in Ireland until the mid-19th century.

Pronunciation

• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈbˠɪn̠ʲanˠ ˈbˠiː/, /ˈbˠɪn̠ʲan̪ˠ ˈbˠiː/ (corresponding to the form buinneán buí)

Noun

bonnán buí m (genitive singular bonnáin bhuí, nominative plural bonnáin bhuí)

1. bittern

Declension

Declension of bonnán buí

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative bonnán buí bonnáin bhuí Vocative a bhonnáin bhuí a bhonnána buí Genitive bonnáin bhuí bonnán buí Dative bonnán buí bonnáin bhuí

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an bonnán buí na bonnáin bhuí Genitive an bhonnáin bhuí na mbonnán buí Dative leis an mbonnán buí don bhonnán bhuí leis na bonnáin bhuí

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bonnán buí	bhonnán buí	mbonnán buí
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “bonnán”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bonnán buí”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• “bonnán buí”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024