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/, /ɟəˈɾˠɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈɟaɾˠanˠ/, /ˈɟaɾˠan̪ˠ/
• Homophone: gearán

Noun

gearrán m (genitive singular gearráin, nominative plural gearráin)

1. gelding
   • 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 geldings and a pair of panniers on each gelding for his butter.

2. garron
3. (derogatory) lesbian, dyke

Declension

Declension of gearrán

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative gearrán gearráin Vocative a ghearráin a ghearrána Genitive gearráin gearrán Dative gearrán gearráin

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an gearrán na gearráin Genitive an ghearráin na ngearrán Dative leis an ngearrán don ghearrán leis na gearráin

Descendants

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

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
gearrán	ghearrán	ngearrán
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “gearrán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “gearrán”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “gearrán”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024