meán

See also: mean and meán-

Irish

Alternative forms

• meadhón (obsolete)
• meon

Etymology

From Old Irish medón, from Latin mediānus. Cognate with English mean. Compare Scottish Gaelic meadhan.

Adjective

meán (genitive singular masculine meáin, genitive singular feminine meáine, plural meána, comparative meáine)

1. mid, central
2. middle
3. average

Declension

Declension of meán

First Declension

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	meán	meán¹	meána³
Vocative	meáin¹	meán¹	meána
Genitive	meáin¹	meáine	meána	meán
Dative	meán²	meán¹; (archaic) meáin¹	meána³
Comparative	meáine

¹ This form is lenited after a noun if possible.
² This form is lenited if possible when the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
³ This form is lenited if possible when the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Noun

meán m (genitive singular meáin, nominative plural meáin)

1. middle
2. (mathematics) mean
3. medium
4. average
5. (anatomy) middle, waist
6. middle zone

Declension

Declension of meán

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative meán meáin Vocative a mheáin a mheána Genitive meáin meán Dative meán meáin

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an meán na meáin Genitive an mheáin na meán Dative leis an meán don mheán leis na meáin

Derived terms

• Meán Fómhair m (“September”, literally “middle of autumn”)
• meán lae m (“midday”)
• meán oíche m (“midnight”)
• Mí Mheáin an tSamhraidh f (“June”, literally “Midsummer Month”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
meán	mheán	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• "meán" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• “medón” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.