nighean

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• nigheann

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɲiː.an̪ˠ/

Etymology

From Old Irish ingen, from Primitive Irish ᚔᚅᚔᚌᚓᚅᚐ (inigena), from Proto-Celtic *enigenā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁én (“in”) + *ǵenh₁- (“produce, give birth”) (compare Latin indigena (“native”), Ancient Greek ἐγγόνη (engónē, “granddaughter”)).

Noun

nighean f (genitive nighinn or nighinne or nighne, plural nigheanan or nigheannan or nighnean)

1. daughter, female offspring
2. girl, maiden

   An cluinn thu mi, mo nighean dhonn? ― Will you listen to me, my brown-haired girl?

Derived terms

• leas-nighean