fainne

See also: fáinne and fàinne

English

Alternative forms

• Fainne, Fáinne, fáinne

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish fáinne (“ring”). Doublet of fawny.

Pronunciation

• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈfɑnjə/, /ˈfɔnjə/

Noun

fainne (plural fainnes or fainni)

1. a pin badge worn to show fluency in, or a willingness to speak, the Irish language.
   • 1966 The Irish answer: an anatomy of modern Ireland. Tony Gray

     In the past, the 'Fainne' got something of a bad name because not all of its wearers were prepared to confine their attempts to converse in Gaelic to fellow-members of the League; some insisted on trying to do all their shopping in Irish...

   • 1996 Presbyterians and the Irish Language By Roger Blaney

     In 1922 he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and the following year became Chief ... that he always wore his fainne (the Irish language badge) at work and that much more Irish than English was spoken in his ...

   • 2005 Feis Na NGleann: A Century of Gaelic Culture in the Antrim Glens - Page 120

     It is a proven fact that pupils from these schools continue to speak Irish among themselves long after leaving the all-Irish environment. As numbers increase, better use of the 'Fainne' would identify these students to each other and to anyone ...

   • http://www.gaelport.com

     The Silver Fáinne is suitable for those who have a basic ability in Irish. The Gold Fáinne indicates that you are a fluent Irish speaker. Now Irish speakers all over the world can purchase a fáinne in our new online shop which can be accessed by clicking on this link or by visiting the shop which is located at the top of this page.

Anagrams

• Fannie, Fenian

Irish

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

fainne

1. inflection of fann:
   1. feminine genitive singular
   2. comparative degree

Etymology 2

From Old Irish fainne (“weakness”).

Noun

fainne f (genitive singular fainne)

1. weakness

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
fainne	fhainne	bhfainne
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

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