caoin

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kiːnʲ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish caín.

Adjective

caoin (genitive singular masculine caoin, genitive singular feminine caoine, plural caoine, comparative caoine)

1. smooth, delicate, polished
2. kind, gentle, refined

Declension

Declension of caoin

Positive	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	caoin	chaoin	caoine; chaoine2
vocative	chaoin		caoine
genitive		caoine	caoine	caoin
dative	caoin; chaoin1	chaoin	caoine; chaoine2
Comparative	níos caoine
Superlative	is caoine

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Etymology 2

From Middle Irish caín (“smooth finished side”), a substantivization of caín (“fine, beautiful”).

Noun

caoin f (genitive singular caoine)

1. smooth surface

Declension

Declension of caoin (second declension, no plural)

bare forms singular nominative caoin vocative a chaoin genitive caoine dative caoin forms with the definite article singular nominative an chaoin genitive na caoine dative leis an gcaoin don chaoin

Etymology 3

From Middle Irish caínid, from Old Irish coínid, from Brythonic (compare Welsh cwyn (“lament”)).

Verb

caoin (present analytic caoineann, future analytic caoinfidh, verbal noun caoineadh, past participle caointe)

1. (ambitransitive) to keen, lament
2. (ambitransitive) to cry, weep

Conjugation

conjugation of caoin (first conjugation – A)

verbal noun	caoineadh
past participle	caointe
tense	singular			plural			relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative
present	caoinim	caoineann tú; caoinir†	caoineann sé, sí	caoinimid	caoineann sibh	caoineann siad; caoinid†	a chaoineann; a chaoineas / a gcaoineann*	caointear
past	chaoin mé; chaoineas	chaoin tú; chaoinis	chaoin sé, sí	chaoineamar; chaoin muid	chaoin sibh; chaoineabhair	chaoin siad; chaoineadar	a chaoin / ar chaoin*	caoineadh
past habitual	chaoininn / gcaoininn‡‡	chaointeá / gcaointeᇇ	chaoineadh sé, sí / gcaoineadh sé, s퇇	chaoinimis; chaoineadh muid / gcaoinimis‡‡; gcaoineadh muid‡‡	chaoineadh sibh / gcaoineadh sibh‡‡	chaoinidís; chaoineadh siad / gcaoinidís‡‡; gcaoineadh siad‡‡	a chaoineadh / a gcaoineadh*	chaointí / gcaoint퇇
future	caoinfidh mé; caoinfead	caoinfidh tú; caoinfir†	caoinfidh sé, sí	caoinfimid; caoinfidh muid	caoinfidh sibh	caoinfidh siad; caoinfid†	a chaoinfidh; a chaoinfeas / a gcaoinfidh*	caoinfear
conditional	chaoinfinn / gcaoinfinn‡‡	chaoinfeá / gcaoinfeᇇ	chaoinfeadh sé, sí / gcaoinfeadh sé, s퇇	chaoinfimis; chaoinfeadh muid / gcaoinfimis‡‡; gcaoinfeadh muid‡‡	chaoinfeadh sibh / gcaoinfeadh sibh‡‡	chaoinfidís; chaoinfeadh siad / gcaoinfidís‡‡; gcaoinfeadh siad‡‡	a chaoinfeadh / a gcaoinfeadh*	chaoinfí / gcaoinf퇇
subjunctive
present	go gcaoine mé; go gcaoinead†	go gcaoine tú; go gcaoinir†	go gcaoine sé, sí	go gcaoinimid; go gcaoine muid	go gcaoine sibh	go gcaoine siad; go gcaoinid†	—	go gcaointear
past	dá gcaoininn	dá gcaointeá	dá gcaoineadh sé, sí	dá gcaoinimis; dá gcaoineadh muid	dá gcaoineadh sibh	dá gcaoinidís; dá gcaoineadh siad	—	dá gcaointí
imperative
–	caoinim	caoin	caoineadh sé, sí	caoinimis	caoinigí; caoinidh†	caoinidís	—	caointear

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Related terms

• éagaoin

Descendants

• → English: keen

Mutation

Mutated forms of caoin

radical	lenition	eclipsis
caoin	chaoin	gcaoin

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

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʰɯːɲ/

Etymology 1

From Middle Irish caínid, from Old Irish coínid, from Brythonic (compare Welsh cwyn (“lament”)).

Verb

caoin (past chaoin, future caoinidh, verbal noun caoineadh, past participle caointe)

1. mourn, lament, grieve

   Synonym: caoidh

2. cry, weep

   Synonym: guil

Etymology 2

From Middle Irish caín (“smooth finished side; especially the outer surface of a wall, etc.”), a substantivization of caín (“fine, beautiful”).

Noun

caoin f (genitive singular caoine, no plural)

1. exterior, outer side (of garment)

   Antonym: ascaoin

Derived terms

• caoin air ascaoin (“inside out”)

Mutation

Mutation of caoin

radical	lenition
caoin	chaoin

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

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911), “caoin”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 caín”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “caínid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language