uan
/uən̪ˠ/masculine
The Irish word for lamb is uan.
The term refers to a young sheep.
Meaning: young sheep (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/uən̪ˠ/
Did you know?
- Unlike English, which uses 'lamb' for both the animal and the meat, Irish often uses distinct terms depending on whether the animal is alive or being served as food.
- The word uan shares an ancient root with the Greek word ognos, which also means lamb.
- In Irish folklore and poetry, the uan is often used as a symbol of purity and innocence, mirroring its role in Christian traditions.
Examples in context
- Luigh leis an uan, agus éirigh leis an éan.Lie with the lamb, and rise with the bird.This sentence shows how to use uan in a proverb.
- Tá an uan go hiontach.The lamb is wonderful.
Example conversation
Oisín and Aoife are visiting a farm.
- OisínSeo an uan is áille!This is the prettiest lamb!
- AoifeTá sé an-bhog, a Oisín.It is very soft, Oisín.
- OisínAn bhfuil an uan seo nua?Is this lamb new?
- AoifeTá, cuireadh sé anseo inné.Yes, it was put here yesterday.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lamb” translations and entries uan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries uan, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
