meán

See also: mean and meán-

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese meão, from Latin mediānus. Doublet of mediano.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meˈaŋ/

Noun

meán m (plural meáns)

1. chain or strap that connects both rigid parts of a flail

   Synonyms: cedoiro, loro

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “meao”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “meao”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: ILG
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “mean”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Irish

Alternative forms

• meon
• meadhón (superseded)
• meadhan, meadhán, meadhon, meadhón, meádhon, meadon, medhon, medhón, meodhan, meódhan, meón (obsolete)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /mʲɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /mʲɑːnˠ/, /mʲɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /mʲaːnˠ/, /mʲaːn̪ˠ/

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

	singular		plural (m/f)
Positive	masculine	feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
nominative	meán	mheán	meána; mheána2
vocative	mheáin		meána
genitive		meáne	meána	meán
dative	meán; mheán1	mheán; mheáin (archaic)	meána; mheána2
Comparative	níos meáne
Superlative	is meáne

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² 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
• meán lae (“midday”)
• meán oíche
• meán-
• meánach

 

Mutation

Mutated forms of meán

radical	lenition	eclipsis
meán	mheán	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “meán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “meaḋón”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 472