Focal an Lae #181
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: lann (LAHN) [lan]
Meaning: lann = land; site; building
Usage:
“Lann” is pretty much archaic as an independent word, but is verymuch alive as an element in compounds, such as the following:
- leabharlann (LYOW-uhr-luhn) [l′aurlən] = library (lit., book-house)
- bialann (BEE-uh-luhn) [b′iːələn] = restaurant (food-house)
- saotharlann (SEE-huhr-luhn) [siːhərlən] = laboratory (work-house)
History: Old Irish “land” (land, plot, building, church) and Welsh “llan” (yard, church, parish) come from Common Celtic *landā,
which comes from Indo-European *lendh- (open land).
Cognates in English include “land” and “lawn”, which comes from Old French “launde” (heath, pasture),
probably a borrowing from Gaulish *landā (heath, moor).
Scottish Gaelic: lann