faoileán
The Irish word for seagull is faoileán.
faoileán refers to a common coastal bird with white and grey feathers.
Did you know?
- The word faoileán uses the diminutive suffix -án, which technically turns the word into 'little seagull'.
- The structure of faoileán mirrors a common Irish habit of using 'small' versions of words to describe animals, even those that are large in reality.
- In Irish, the concept of a 'seagull' is expressed through a single word faoileán rather than a compound of 'sea' and 'gull' as in English.
Examples in context
- Chonaic mé faoileán ag damhsa san aer.I saw a seagull dancing in the air.
- Tá an faoileán bán.The seagull is white.
- Chonaic mé faoileán sa ghairdín.I saw a seagull in the garden.
Example conversation
Siobhán and Conor are walking along the coast.
- SiobhánBreathnaigh ar an faoileán sin, a Chonaire!Look at that seagull, Conor!
- ConorTá sé an-ghníomhach inniu.He is very active today.
- SiobhánTá sé ag iarraidt rud éigin a fháil.He wants to get something.
- ConorNá tabhair bia don faoileán.Don't give food to the seagull.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries faoileán, CC BY-SA 4.0.
