coileán
/kɪˈlʲɑːn̪ˠ/
The Irish word for "puppy" is coileán.
coileán refers to a young dog.
Meaning: young dog (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of coileán is coileáin, which means "puppies".
How do you pronounce it?
/kɪˈlʲɑːn̪ˠ/
Did you know?
- The plural coileáin changes the vowel sound of the word, a grammatical process called internal inflection that is rare in English.
- In many Irish contexts, the word for 'boy' or 'lad' can be related to terms used for young animals, though coileán specifically denotes the animal.
- coileán is a cognate with the Manx word quallian and the Scottish Gaelic cuilean, showing a shared Celtic root for 'whelp'.
Examples in context
- Rinne an eachóg greimín ar mo bhróga.The puppy chewed on my shoes.
- Tá coileán beag agam.I have a small puppy.
- Is coileán é an madra sin.That dog is a puppy.
Example conversation
Oisín and Saoirse are at a pet store.
- OisínSaoirse, féach ar an gcoileán!Saoirse, look at the puppy!
- SaoirseTá sé an-cheanaic, Oisín.He is very cute, Oisín.
- OisínAn dteastaíonn coileán uait?Do you want a puppy?
- SaoirseBa mhais é, ach ní féidir liom.I would love one, but I can't.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry coileán, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries coileán, CC BY-SA 4.0.
