gearrán

See also: gearran and Gearran

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish gerrán. By surface analysis, gearr (“short”) +‎ -án.

Pronunciation

(Munster) IPA^(key): /ɟəˈɾˠɑːn̪ˠ/
(Connacht) IPA^(key): /ɟəˈɾˠɑːnˠ/^[1], /ˈɟiɾˠaːnˠ/^[2]
(Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈɟaɾˠanˠ/^[3]
Homophone: gearán

Noun

gearrán m (genitive singular gearráin, nominative plural gearráin)

Usage notes

In the Munster and Connacht dialects as well as the standard language, capall is the generic word for “horse”, while gearrán means specifically “gelding”. However, in the Ulster dialect, capall means specifically “mare” and gearrán is the generic word for “horse”.

Declension

Declension of gearrán (first declension)

bare forms
	singular	plural
nominative	gearrán	gearráin
vocative	a ghearráin	a ghearrána
genitive	gearráin	gearrán
dative	gearrán	gearráin

forms with the definite article
	singular	plural
nominative	an gearrán	na gearráin
genitive	an ghearráin	na ngearrán
dative	leis an ngearrán don ghearrán	leis na gearráin

Quotations

1906, E. C. Quiggin, “Áindrías an Ime”, in A Dialect of Donegal: Being the Speech of Meenawannia in the Parish of Glenties, page 196:
Seachtmhain roimhe Shamhain chuaidh an Seónstanach siar ⁊ seacht ngearráin ⁊ péire cliabh air ghach gearrán fá choinne a chuid ime.
A week before Samhain, Johnstone went back with seven horses and a pair of panniers on each horse for his butter.

Descendants

→ English: garron
→ Fingallian: garrane
→ Yola: garraane, garrane

Mutation

Mutated forms of *gearrán*
radical	lenition	eclipsis
gearrán	ghearrán	ngearrán

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

References

^ Finck, F. N. (1899), Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), Zweiter Band: Wörterbuch [Second volume: Dictionary], Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 274
^ Mhac an Fhailigh, Éamonn (1968), The Irish of Erris, Co. Mayo: A Phonemic Study, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, section 36, page 11
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906), A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 268, page 95