grian
/ɟɾʲiən̪ˠ/feminine
The Irish word for sun is grian.
grian is used to refer to the star around which the Earth revolves. It can also be used more broadly to mean a star, specifically when it is the center of a solar system or as a verb meaning to expose something to the warmth and radiation of the sun.
Meaning: the star around which the Earth revolves (name)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
grian is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɟɾʲiən̪ˠ/
Did you know?
- In old Irish literature, the sun was often linked to the concept of 'light' and 'truth', appearing in myths where the sun acts as a witness to oaths.
- In Irish mythology, the sun is often personified as a goddess, reflecting the feminine gender of the noun grian.
- The root of grian relates to the concept of warmth and radiance, which is why it is linguistically linked to words describing glowing or burning in ancient Celtic roots.
Examples in context
- Tá an grian ag taitneamh.The sun is shining.This sentence is useful for describing the sun as shining using grian.Tatoeba #1345244 by Chrikaru, translation #372414 by ilayde
Example conversation
Oisín and Niamh are looking out the window.
- OisínSeo an grian!Here is the sun!
- NiamhTá sí go hálainn.It is beautiful.
- OisínAn grian ag teacht amach?Is the sun coming out?
- NiamhTá, tá sí ag teacht.Yes, it is coming.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sun” translations and entries grian, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
