cailín

Irish

Etymology

From caile (“maid”) +‎ -ín (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

Noun

cailín m (genitive singular cailín, nominative plural cailíní)

  1. girl; young, unmarried woman
    Synonyms: gearrchaile, girseach
  2. girlfriend
    Synonym: girseach
  3. female servant, maid
  4. useful thing (referring to a feminine noun)
    Is í an druil an cailín chun na hoibre.
    The drill is the right tool for the job.

Usage notes
  • Cailín is masculine because of the suffix -ín. Nevertheless, the feminine pronouns sí and í are used to refer to it.

Declension
Declension of cailín

Fourth declension

Bare forms

Case Singular Plural
Nominative cailín cailíní
Vocative a chailín a chailíní
Genitive cailín cailíní
Dative cailín cailíní

Forms with the definite article

Case Singular Plural
Nominative an cailín na cailíní
Genitive an chailín na gcailíní
Dative leis an gcailín

don chailín

 leis na cailíní

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Descendants
  • → English: colleen
  • Shelta: lakeen

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

References
  1. Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 78
  2. Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 45

Further reading
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