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

Cornish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡlaːn/

Adjective

glan

1. clean
2. pure

   Synonym: pur

Derived terms

• glanhe (“clean”, verb)
• glanheor skew (“windscreen wiper”)
• glanyth (“tidy”)
• glanyther, glanythores (“hygienist”)

Adverb

glan

1. completely, quite

Mutation

Mutation of glan

radical	soft	aspirate	hard	mixed
glan	lan	unchanged	klan	unchanged

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

References

• “glan” in Cornish Dictionary / Gerlyver Kernewek, Akademi Kernewek.

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡl̪ˠan̪ˠ/, /ɡlˠanˠ/, /ɡlˠɑnˠ/, (Cois Fharraige) [ɡl̪ˠaːn̪ˠ]

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

Positive	singular		plural
	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

Positive	singular		plural
	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

• bua glan (“outright victory; victory in backgammon”)
• glaine
• glaineacht
• glanachar
• neamhghlan
• spéirghlan

Etymology 2

From Old Irish glanaid (“to cleanse”), from the adjective.

Verb

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

1. to clean

Conjugation

Conjugation of glan (first conjugation – A)

indicative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	glanaim	glanann tú; glanair†	glanann sé, sí	glanaimid; glanann muid	glanann sibh	glanann siad; glanaid†	a ghlanann; a ghlanas	glantar
past	ghlan mé; ghlanas	ghlan tú; ghlanais	ghlan sé, sí	ghlanamar; ghlan muid	ghlan sibh; ghlanabhair	ghlan siad; ghlanadar	a ghlan	glanadh
past habitual	ghlanainn / glanainn‡	ghlantá / glantá‡	ghlanadh sé, sí / glanadh sé, sí‡	ghlanaimis; ghlanadh muid / glanaimis‡; glanadh muid‡	ghlanadh sibh / glanadh sibh‡	ghlanaidís; ghlanadh siad / glanaidís‡; glanadh siad‡	a ghlanadh	ghlantaí / glantaí‡
	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	glanfaidh mé; glanfad	glanfaidh tú; glanfair†	glanfaidh sé, sí	glanfaimid; glanfaidh muid	glanfaidh sibh	glanfaidh siad; glanfaid†	a ghlanfaidh; a ghlanfas	glanfar
conditional	ghlanfainn / glanfainn‡	ghlanfá / glanfá‡	ghlanfadh sé, sí / glanfadh sé, sí‡	ghlanfaimis; ghlanfadh muid / glanfaimis‡; glanfadh muid‡	ghlanfadh sibh / glanfadh sibh‡	ghlanfaidís; ghlanfadh siad / glanfaidís‡; glanfadh siad‡	a ghlanfadh	ghlanfaí / glanfaí‡
subjunctive	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
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	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
—	glanaim	glan	glanadh sé, sí	glanaimis	glanaigí; glanaidh†	glanaidís	—	glantar
past participle	glanta
verbal noun	glanadh

^† archaic or dialect form
^‡ dependent form

Derived terms

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

Mutation

Mutated forms of glan

radical	lenition	eclipsis
glan	ghlan	nglan

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

References

References

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “glan; glanaim”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 542; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “glan”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *glanos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡlan/

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

*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
• Manx: glen
• Scottish Gaelic: glan

Verb

·glan

1. third-person singular preterite conjunct of glanaid

Verb

glan

1. second-person singular imperative of glanaid

Mutation

Mutation of glan

radical	lenition	nasalization
glan	glan pronounced with /ɣ-/	nglan

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

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^[2], 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

• Bożena Sieradzka-Baziur, et al., editors (2011–2015), “glan”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (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, glana1	glany
instrumental	glanem	glanami
locative	glanie	glanach
vocative	glanie	glany

¹Colloquial.

Further reading

• “glan”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[3] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “glan”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[4] (in Polish)

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kl̪ˠan/

Etymology 1

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

Adjective

glan (comparative glaine or gloine, abstract 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. Cognate with Cornish glann.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡlan/
• Rhymes: -an

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