cinn

See also: cinn-

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Waterford, Cork) IPA^(key): /cəiɲ/
• (Kerry) IPA^(key): /ciːnʲ/
• (Galway) IPA^(key): /ciːn̠ʲ/
• (Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /cɪn̠ʲ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish cingid, cinnid (“steps, paces, proceeds, goes; overcomes, surpasses, excels, exceeds”).

Verb

cinn (present analytic cinneann, future analytic cinnfidh, verbal noun cinneadh, past participle cinnte) (transitive, intransitive)

1. (literary) step
2. (with ar)
   1. surpass, overcome
   2. be too much for

      Chinn orainn aon dul chun cinn a dhéanadh.

      We failed to make any progress.

Conjugation

conjugation of cinn (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	cinnim	cinneann tú; cinnir†	cinneann sé, sí	cinnimid	cinneann sibh	cinneann siad; cinnid†	a chinneann; a chinneas / a gcinneann*; a gcinneas*	cinntear
	past	chinn mé; chinneas	chinn tú; chinnis	chinn sé, sí	chinneamar; chinn muid	chinn sibh; chinneabhair	chinn siad; chinneadar	a chinn / ar chinn*	cinneadh
	past habitual	chinninn / gcinninn‡‡	chinnteá / gcinnteᇇ	chinneadh sé, sí / gcinneadh sé, s퇇	chinnimis; chinneadh muid / gcinnimis‡‡; gcinneadh muid‡‡	chinneadh sibh / gcinneadh sibh‡‡	chinnidís; chinneadh siad / gcinnidís‡‡; gcinneadh siad‡‡	a chinneadh / a gcinneadh*	chinntí / gcinnt퇇
future		cinnfidh mé; cinnfead	cinnfidh tú; cinnfir†	cinnfidh sé, sí	cinnfimid; cinnfidh muid	cinnfidh sibh	cinnfidh siad; cinnfid†	a chinnfidh; a chinnfeas / a gcinnfidh*; a gcinnfeas*	cinnfear
conditional		chinnfinn / gcinnfinn‡‡	chinnfeá / gcinnfeᇇ	chinnfeadh sé, sí / gcinnfeadh sé, s퇇	chinnfimis; chinnfeadh muid / gcinnfimis‡‡; gcinnfeadh muid‡‡	chinnfeadh sibh / gcinnfeadh sibh‡‡	chinnfidís; chinnfeadh siad / gcinnfidís‡‡; gcinnfeadh siad‡‡	a chinnfeadh / a gcinnfeadh*	chinnfí / gcinnf퇇
subjunctive	present	go gcinne mé; go gcinnead†	go gcinne tú; go gcinnir†	go gcinne sé, sí	go gcinnimid; go gcinne muid	go gcinne sibh	go gcinne siad; go gcinnid†	—	go gcinntear
	past	dá gcinninn	dá gcinnteá	dá gcinneadh sé, sí	dá gcinnimis; dá gcinneadh muid	dá gcinneadh sibh	dá gcinnidís; dá gcinneadh siad	—	dá gcinntí
imperative		cinnim	cinn	cinneadh sé, sí	cinnimis	cinnigí; cinnidh†	cinnidís	—	cinntear
verbal noun		cinneadh
past participle		cinnte

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

Etymology 2

From Old Irish cinnid (“defines, fixes, settles; completes, finishes; decides (on a course of action), makes a decision”), from cenn (“head”).

Verb

cinn (present analytic cinneann, future analytic cinnfidh, verbal noun cinneadh, past participle cinnte)

1. (transitive, intransitive) fix, determine, decree, decide

Conjugation

conjugation of cinn (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	cinnim	cinneann tú; cinnir†	cinneann sé, sí	cinnimid	cinneann sibh	cinneann siad; cinnid†	a chinneann; a chinneas / a gcinneann*; a gcinneas*	cinntear
	past	chinn mé; chinneas	chinn tú; chinnis	chinn sé, sí	chinneamar; chinn muid	chinn sibh; chinneabhair	chinn siad; chinneadar	a chinn / ar chinn*	cinneadh
	past habitual	chinninn / gcinninn‡‡	chinnteá / gcinnteᇇ	chinneadh sé, sí / gcinneadh sé, s퇇	chinnimis; chinneadh muid / gcinnimis‡‡; gcinneadh muid‡‡	chinneadh sibh / gcinneadh sibh‡‡	chinnidís; chinneadh siad / gcinnidís‡‡; gcinneadh siad‡‡	a chinneadh / a gcinneadh*	chinntí / gcinnt퇇
future		cinnfidh mé; cinnfead	cinnfidh tú; cinnfir†	cinnfidh sé, sí	cinnfimid; cinnfidh muid	cinnfidh sibh	cinnfidh siad; cinnfid†	a chinnfidh; a chinnfeas / a gcinnfidh*; a gcinnfeas*	cinnfear
conditional		chinnfinn / gcinnfinn‡‡	chinnfeá / gcinnfeᇇ	chinnfeadh sé, sí / gcinnfeadh sé, s퇇	chinnfimis; chinnfeadh muid / gcinnfimis‡‡; gcinnfeadh muid‡‡	chinnfeadh sibh / gcinnfeadh sibh‡‡	chinnfidís; chinnfeadh siad / gcinnfidís‡‡; gcinnfeadh siad‡‡	a chinnfeadh / a gcinnfeadh*	chinnfí / gcinnf퇇
subjunctive	present	go gcinne mé; go gcinnead†	go gcinne tú; go gcinnir†	go gcinne sé, sí	go gcinnimid; go gcinne muid	go gcinne sibh	go gcinne siad; go gcinnid†	—	go gcinntear
	past	dá gcinninn	dá gcinnteá	dá gcinneadh sé, sí	dá gcinnimis; dá gcinneadh muid	dá gcinneadh sibh	dá gcinnidís; dá gcinneadh siad	—	dá gcinntí
imperative		cinnim	cinn	cinneadh sé, sí	cinnimis	cinnigí; cinnidh†	cinnidís	—	cinntear
verbal noun		cinneadh
past participle		cinnte

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

Related terms

• cinniúint f (“fate”)
• cinnte (“certain”, adjective)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Alternative forms

• (nominative/dative plural): ceanna (Cois Fharraige)

Noun

cinn m

1. inflection of ceann (“head”):
   1. vocative/genitive singular
   2. nominative/dative plural

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
cinn	chinn	gcinn
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cinn”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cingid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cinnid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “cinn”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “cinn”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 24

Middle Irish

Noun

cinn

1. inflection of cenn:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative plural

Mutation

Middle Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
cinn	chinn	cinn pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Old English

Picture dictionary

cinn

heafodban

brægn

eage

lippa

nosu

muþ

cinn

ceoce

eare

þunwange

heals

Click on labels in the image.

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *kinnu (“chin”).

Compare Old Frisian zin, Old Saxon, Old Dutch, and Old High German kinni, Old Norse kinn, Gothic 𐌺𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌿𐍃 (kinnus) and Latin gena, Ancient Greek γένυς (génus), Welsh gen, Tocharian A śanwem, Old Armenian ծնաւտ (cnawt), Lithuanian žandas, Persian چانه (čâne), Sanskrit हनु (hánu).

Alternative forms

• ċin, ċyn

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃinn/, [t͡ʃin]

Noun

ċinn n

1. chin

Declension

Declension of cinn (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	ċinn	ċinn
accusative	ċinn	ċinn
genitive	ċinnes	ċinna
dative	ċinne	ċinnum

Descendants

• Middle English: chyn, chin, chinne, chynne, shyne, schyn
  • English: chin
  • Scots: chin, chyn

Etymology 2

See cynn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kinn/, [kin]

Noun

cinn n

1. Alternative form of cynn

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʲin͈ʲ/

Noun

cinn

1. genitive singular of cenn

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
cinn	chinn	cinn pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʲʰiːɲ/

Etymology 1

From the root of cineal (“progeny, offspring”).

Verb

cinn (past chinn, future cinnidh, verbal noun cinntinn, past participle cinnte)

1. grow
2. increase, multiply
3. prosper

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

cinn m

1. inflection of ceann:
   1. genitive singular
   2. nominative plural

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
cinn	chinn
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “cinn”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN