meall

Irish

Pronunciation

(Munster) IPA^(key): /mʲaul̪ˠ/
(Connacht) IPA^(key): /mʲɑːl̪ˠ/
(Ulster) IPA^(key): /mʲol̪ˠ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish mell (“a ball, sphere, round mass; a round protuberance, swelling”), from Proto-Celtic *melsā (“knuckle”), from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“limb, joint”), see also Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos), Gaulish placename Melodunum.

Noun

meall m (genitive singular mill, nominative plural meallta)

ball, globe
1. prominent, fleshy part
2. protuberance, projection
3. tumour, swelling; (plural) mumps
4. (topography) knoll, mound
lump, mass

Declension

Declension of meall

First declension

Bare forms:

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	meall	meallta
Vocative	a mhill	a mhealla
Genitive	mill	meall
Dative	meall	meallta

Forms with the definite article:

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	an meall	na meallta
Genitive	an mhill	na meall
Dative	leis an meall don mheall	leis na meallta

Derived terms

an meall is mó ar deireadh (“last but not least”)
cruinnmheall (“round mass; globe”)
meall brád
meall coise
meall gorm
meall guail
meall mór
meall na gréine
meall sneachta
meall súile

Verb

meall (present analytic meallann, future analytic meallfaidh, verbal noun mealladh, past participle meallta) (transitive, intransitive)

beguile, charm; entice
delude, deceive; disappoint

Conjugation

conjugation of meall (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third	relative	autonomous
indicative	present	meallaim	meallann tú; meallair^†	meallann sé, sí	meallaimid	meallann sibh	meallann siad; meallaid^†	a mheallann; a mheallas / a meallann*	mealltar
	past	mheall mé; mheallas	mheall tú; mheallais	mheall sé, sí	mheallamar; mheall muid	mheall sibh; mheallabhair	mheall siad; mhealladar	a mheall / ar mheall*	mealladh
	past habitual	mheallainn / meallainn‡‡	mhealltá / mealltá‡‡	mhealladh sé, sí / mealladh sé, sí‡‡	mheallaimis; mhealladh muid / meallaimis‡‡; mealladh muid‡‡	mhealladh sibh / mealladh sibh‡‡	mheallaidís; mhealladh siad / meallaidís‡‡; mealladh siad‡‡	a mhealladh / a mealladh*	mhealltaí / mealltaí‡‡
future		meallfaidh mé; meallfad	meallfaidh tú; meallfair^†	meallfaidh sé, sí	meallfaimid; meallfaidh muid	meallfaidh sibh	meallfaidh siad; meallfaid^†	a mheallfaidh; a mheallfas / a meallfaidh*	meallfar
conditional		mheallfainn / meallfainn‡‡	mheallfá / meallfá‡‡	mheallfadh sé, sí / meallfadh sé, sí‡‡	mheallfaimis; mheallfadh muid / meallfaimis‡‡; meallfadh muid‡‡	mheallfadh sibh / meallfadh sibh‡‡	mheallfaidís; mheallfadh siad / meallfaidís‡‡; meallfadh siad‡‡	a mheallfadh / a meallfadh*	mheallfaí / meallfaí‡‡
subjunctive	present	go mealla mé; go meallad^†	go mealla tú; go meallair^†	go mealla sé, sí	go meallaimid; go mealla muid	go mealla sibh	go mealla siad; go meallaid^†	—	go mealltar
subjunctive	past	dá meallainn	dá mealltá	dá mealladh sé, sí	dá meallaimis; dá mealladh muid	dá mealladh sibh	dá meallaidís; dá mealladh siad	—	dá mealltaí
imperative		meallaim	meall	mealladh sé, sí	meallaimis	meallaigí; meallaidh^†	meallaidís	—	mealltar
verbal noun		mealladh
past participle		meallta

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Etymology 2

Adjective

meall (genitive singular masculine mill, genitive singular feminine mille, plural mealla, comparative mille)

Alternative form of meallach (“beguiling, pleasant, delightful”)

Declension

Declension of meall

Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Nominative	meall	mheall	mealla; mhealla²
Vocative	mhill	mheall	mealla
Genitive	mhill	mealle	mealla	meall
Dative	meall; mheall¹	mheall; mhill (archaic)	mealla; mhealla²
Comparative	níos mealle
Superlative	is mealle

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
meall	mheall	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) “meall”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 mell”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
💬 at 2022 Phonetics and Speech Laboratory

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish mell, from Proto-Celtic *melsā (“knuckle”), from Proto-Indo-European *mel- (“limb, joint”), see also Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos), Gaulish placename Melodunum.

Pronunciation

(Lewis) IPA^(key): /mjãũl̪ˠ/^[1]
(Uist, Barra) IPA^(key): /mɛul̪ˠ/^[2]

Noun

meall m (genitive singular mill, plural mill)

lump
hill
large number
(weather) shower (of rain)

Derived terms

Verb

meall (past mheall, future meallaidh, verbal noun mealladh, past participle meallta)

Derived terms

mealltach

References

MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “meall”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎^[1], Stirling, →ISBN

^ Oftedal, M. (1956) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
^ Template:R:Mac Gill-Fhinnein

[1] Oftedal, M. (1956) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap

[2] Template:R:Mac Gill-Fhinnein

[1]