duán

See also: duan, duàn, duān, and duǎn

Irish

Alternative forms

• dubhán (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle Irish dubán (“hook”). Cognate with Scottish Gaelic dubhan. Appears to be derived from dubh (“black”), though the semantic development is unclear. Perhaps “black thing” > “hook” (because iron hooks are black) > “kidney” (because kidneys are roughly hook-shaped).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /d̪ˠəˈvˠɑːn̪ˠ/, [d̪ˠəˈvˠɑ̃ːn̪ˠ] (corresponding to the form dubhán)
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈd̪ˠuːɑːnˠ/, /ˈd̪ˠuːɑːn̪ˠ/
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /d̪ˠəˈwɑːn/, /ˈd̪ˠu.ɑːn/, /ˈd̪ˠɞwɑːn/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈd̪ˠuːanˠ/, /ˈd̪ˠuːan̪ˠ/

Noun

duán m (genitive singular duáin, nominative plural duáin)

1. kidney
2. fishhook

Declension

Declension of duán

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative duán duáin Vocative a dhuáin a dhuána Genitive duáin duán Dative duán duáin

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an duán na duáin Genitive an duáin na nduán Dative leis an duán don duán leis na duáin

Derived terms

• duánach

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
duán	dhuán	nduán
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• “duán”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 dubán ‘fish-hook’”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 dubán ‘kidney’”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “duán”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 75