Focal an Lae #43
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: sean (SHAN, rhymes with Dan)
Meaning: sean = old
Usage: In Irish, an adjective normally follows the word it modifies:
- bean óg = a young woman
- fear óg = a young man
“Sean”, however, is one of a very small number of adjectives and intensive particles that are prefixed to the noun:
- seanduine (SHAN-dih-nuh) = an old person
- seanaois (SHAN-eesh) = old age
- sean-nós (SHAN-nohs) = old style (of singing)
- seanfhocal (SHAN-o-kuhl) = a proverb (lit., old word)
History: Old Irish “sen” comes from Common Celtic *seno- (compare Welsh and Breton “hen”), from the Indo-European root *sen- (old).
Latin “senex” (old) gives us the English cognates “senior” and “senate”.
Scottish Gaelic: sean (as predicate) and seann (as attributive)