glan

See also: Glan, and glân

Breton

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *glan, from Proto-Celtic *glanos (“clean, clear”).

Adjective

glan

1. pure

Mutation

Mutation of glan

unmutated	soft	aspirate	hard	mixed
glan	c'hlan	unchanged	klan	c'hlan

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ɡl̪ˠɑːn̪ˠ/ (as if spelled glán)
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ɡlɑn/
• (Cois Fharraige, Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ɡlˠanˠ/, /ɡl̪ˠan̪ˠ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish glan, from Proto-Celtic *glanos (“clean, clear”).

Adjective

glan (genitive singular masculine glain, genitive singular feminine glaine, plural glana, comparative glaine)

1. clean
2. clear

Declension

Declension of glan

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	glan	ghlan	glana; ghlana²
Vocative	ghlain		glana
Genitive		glaine	glana	glan
Dative	glan; ghlan¹	ghlan; ghlain (archaic)	glana; ghlana²
Comparative	níos glaine
Superlative	is glaine

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

Archaic declension

Declension of glan

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	glan	ghlan	glana; ghlana²
Vocative	ghloin		glana
Genitive		gloine	glana	glan
Dative	glan; ghlan¹	ghlan; ghloin (archaic)	glana; ghlana²
Comparative	níos gloine
Superlative	is gloine

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

Derived terms

• neamhghlan
• spéirghlan

Etymology 2

From Old Irish glanaid (“cleanses, purifies, purges”), from the adjective.

Verb

glan (present analytic glanann, future analytic glanfaidh, verbal noun glanadh, past participle glanta)

1. clean

Conjugation

conjugation of glan (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	glanaim	glanann tú; glanair†	glanann sé, sí	glanaimid	glanann sibh	glanann siad; glanaid†	a ghlanann; a ghlanas / a nglanann*	glantar
	past	ghlan mé; ghlanas	ghlan tú; ghlanais	ghlan sé, sí	ghlanamar; ghlan muid	ghlan sibh; ghlanabhair	ghlan siad; ghlanadar	a ghlan / ar ghlan*	glanadh
	past habitual	ghlanainn / nglanainn‡‡	ghlantá / nglantᇇ	ghlanadh sé, sí / nglanadh sé, s퇇	ghlanaimis; ghlanadh muid / nglanaimis‡‡; nglanadh muid‡‡	ghlanadh sibh / nglanadh sibh‡‡	ghlanaidís; ghlanadh siad / nglanaidís‡‡; nglanadh siad‡‡	a ghlanadh / a nglanadh*	ghlantaí / nglanta퇇
future		glanfaidh mé; glanfad	glanfaidh tú; glanfair†	glanfaidh sé, sí	glanfaimid; glanfaidh muid	glanfaidh sibh	glanfaidh siad; glanfaid†	a ghlanfaidh; a ghlanfas / a nglanfaidh*	glanfar
conditional		ghlanfainn / nglanfainn‡‡	ghlanfá / nglanfᇇ	ghlanfadh sé, sí / nglanfadh sé, s퇇	ghlanfaimis; ghlanfadh muid / nglanfaimis‡‡; nglanfadh muid‡‡	ghlanfadh sibh / nglanfadh sibh‡‡	ghlanfaidís; ghlanfadh siad / nglanfaidís‡‡; nglanfadh siad‡‡	a ghlanfadh / a nglanfadh*	ghlanfaí / nglanfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go nglana mé; go nglanad†	go nglana tú; go nglanair†	go nglana sé, sí	go nglanaimid; go nglana muid	go nglana sibh	go nglana siad; go nglanaid†	—	go nglantar
	past	dá nglanainn	dá nglantá	dá nglanadh sé, sí	dá nglanaimis; dá nglanadh muid	dá nglanadh sibh	dá nglanaidís; dá nglanadh siad	—	dá nglantaí
imperative		glanaim	glan	glanadh sé, sí	glanaimis	glanaigí; glanaidh†	glanaidís	—	glantar
verbal noun		glanadh
past participle		glanta

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

Derived terms

• folúsghlan (“vacuum clean”, verb)
• glantóir m (“cleaner”)
• tirimghlan (“dry clean”, verb)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
glan	ghlan	nglan
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “glan”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *glanos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡlan/

Adjective

glan

1. clean
2. pure
3. clear

Inflection

o/ā-stem
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	glan	glan	glan
Vocative	glain* glan**
Accusative	glan	glain
Genitive	glain	glaine	glain
Dative	glan	glain	glan
Plural	Masculine	Feminine/neuter
Nominative	glain	glana
Vocative	glanu glana†
Accusative	glanu glana†
Genitive	glan
Dative	glanaib
Notes	*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized

Derived terms

• glanaid

Descendants

• Irish: glan
• Scottish Gaelic: glan
• Manx: glen

Verb

·glan

1. third-person singular preterite conjunct of glanaid

glan

1. second-person singular imperative of glanaid

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
glan	glan pronounced with /ɣ(ʲ)-/	nglan
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “glan”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Polish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *glěnь. First attested in the end of the 15th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /ɡlʲaːn/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ɡlʲɒn/

Noun

glan m animacy unattested

1. dirt, filth
   • 1968 [End of the 15th century], Roman Laskowski, Józef Reczek, editors, Glosy polskie rękopisu Sermones de tempore et de sanctis nr. XV 32 Biblioteki OO. Dominikanów w Krakowie z drugiej połowy XV wieku‎^[1], Sandomierz: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, page 73:

     Sed, heu, multi sunt peccatores, qui se abscondunt in squalore, w glanye, immundicie

     [Sed, heu, multi sunt peccatores, qui se abscondunt in squalore, w glanie, immundicie]

Descendants

• Polish: glon

Further reading

• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “glan”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Polish

glany

Etymology

Back-formation from glanc, with a semantic shift of shine > boots polished to a shine > bovver boot.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlan/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: glan

Noun

glan m inan

1. (colloquial) bovver boot (stout lace-up boots, especially Dr. Martens, perceived to be worn for the purpose of kicking people in fights, and popular with skinheads or other troublemakers out looking for bovver)

Declension

Declension of glan

	singular	plural
nominative	glan	glany
genitive	glana	glanów
dative	glanowi	glanom
accusative	glan	glany
instrumental	glanem	glanami
locative	glanie	glanach
vocative	glanie	glany

Further reading

• glan in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• glan in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

From Old Irish glan, from Proto-Celtic *glanos (“clean, clear”).

Adjective

glan (comparative glaine or gloine, qualitative noun glainead or gloinead)

1. clean
2. pure
3. fine, grand, sheer
4. (colloquial) great, groovy, well

Adverb

glan

1. completely, wholly, thoroughly
2. (colloquial, as an intensifier) very much, really, a lot, thoroughly

   chòrd e rium glan ― I really enjoyed it

Etymology 2

From Old Irish glanaid (“cleanses, purifies, purges”), from glan.

Verb

glan (past ghlan, future glanaidh, verbal noun glanadh, past participle glante)

1. clean, purify
2. purge, refine
3. weed

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh glann, from Proto-Brythonic *glann, from Proto-Celtic *glannos; see *glendos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡlan/

Noun

glan f (plural glannau or glennydd)

1. bank, shore

Derived terms

• glanio (“to come ashore, to land”)
• Glannau Dyfrdwy (“Deeside”)
• Glannau Merswy (“Merseyside”)
• lan (“up(ward)”)
• marchrawn y glennydd (“shore horsetails”)
• torlan (“undercut riverbank, dyke”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of glan

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
glan	lan	nglan	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “glan”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies