mac léinn

Irish

FWOTD – 13 March 2024

Alternative forms

• mac léighinn (superseded)

Etymology

Literally ‘son of learning’.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmˠak ˈl̠ʲeːn̠ʲ/

Noun

mac léinn m (genitive singular mic léinn, nominative plural mic léinn)

1. student (person who studies an academic subject)
   • February 2014, Ciarán Mac Aonghusa, Beo!, “Ag Meabhrú: Mall agus Gasta”:

     Dúradh leis na daoine a ghlac páirt sa turgnamh go raibh bean ann darbh ainm Linda, atá singil, ceannasach, agus cliste agus a d’oibrigh in aghaidh an idirdhealaithe agus ar son na gceart sóisialach nuair a bhí sí ina mac léinn.

     The people who took part in the experiment were told that there was a woman named Linda who was single, assertive, and intelligent and who had worked against discrimination and for social justice when she was a student.

Usage notes

Despite the masculine grammatical gender and the literal meaning ‘son of learning’, this word is also used to refer to a female student.

Declension

Declension of mac léinn

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative mac léinn mic léinn Vocative a mhic léinn a mhaca léinn Genitive mic léinn mac léinn Dative mac léinn mic léinn

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an mac léinn na mic léinn Genitive an mhic léinn na mac léinn Dative leis an mac léinn don mhac léinn leis na mic léinn

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
mac léinn	mhac léinn	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “mac”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN