fáinne

See also: fainne and fàinne

Irish
fáinne

Etymology

From Old Irish áinne, from Proto-Celtic *ānniyos (“ring”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₂n- (“ring”). Possibly cognate with Latin ānus and Old Armenian անուր (anur). The initial f comes from a reinterpretation of áinne as fháinne in leniting environments, leading to fáinne as a back-formation from this supposedly underlying form in nonleniting environments. Compare Scottish Gaelic fàinne.

Pronunciation

Noun

fáinne m (genitive singular fáinne, nominative plural fáinní)

  1. ring
    Leis an bhfáinne seo, pósaim thú. ― With this ring, I thee wed.
  2. circle
  3. ringlet, curl
    Synonyms: bachall, búcla, drol, caschiabh, fáinneog, iodh, lúibín
  4. halo

Declension
Declension of fáinne

Fourth declension

Bare forms

Case Singular Plural
Nominative fáinne fáinní
Vocative a fháinne a fháinní
Genitive fáinne fáinní
Dative fáinne fáinní

Forms with the definite article

Case Singular Plural
Nominative an fáinne na fáinní
Genitive an fháinne na bhfáinní
Dative leis an bhfáinne

don fháinne

 leis na fáinní

Derived terms

Descendants

Mutation
Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
fáinne fháinne bhfáinne
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading
  • "fáinne" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
  • “fáinne” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
  • Entries containing “fáinne” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
  • Entries containing “fáinne” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.
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