HeyRuaHow to say “characteristic” in Irish
- Irish:
- sainghné
- English:
- characteristic
- Word type:
- noun
- Gender:
- feminine
- Pronunciation:
- “SAN-ghyn-ay” /ˈsanʲˌɣʲnʲeː/
- Plural:
- sainghnéithe (characteristics)
- Genitive singular:
- sainghné, na sainghné (e.g. tábhacht na sainghné sin, the importance of that characteristic)
- Genitive plural:
- sainghnéithe, na sainghnéithe (e.g. ceann de na sainghnéithe, one of the characteristics)
What does “sainghné” mean?
- characteristic
- A distinctive feature or quality that is typical of a particular person, thing or place.Also: distinctive feature, special feature, trait, peculiarity.
Other Irish words for characteristic: tréith (trait), tipiciúil (typical), tíopúil (typical)
“Sainghné” with the article
The plural of characteristic in Irish is sainghnéithe. Here is sainghné after the article (an t-alt), in the singular and the plural.
“Sainghné” in a sentence: Irish examples
Common Irish sentences using sainghné, the Irish word for characteristic.
Other nouns in Irish
More everyday Irish nouns to learn next.
Characteristic in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for characteristic?
The Irish for characteristic is sainghné (pronounced “SAN-ghyn-ay”). It’s a feminine noun and the plural is sainghnéithe.
How do you pronounce sainghné in Irish?
Sainghné is said like “SAN-ghyn-ay” (IPA /ˈsanʲˌɣʲnʲeː/).
What is the plural of characteristic in Irish?
The plural of sainghné is sainghnéithe; with the article, na sainghnéithe means “the characteristics”. The genitive plural is sainghnéithe, as in ceann de na sainghnéithe (one of the characteristics).
Why does sainghné change to shainghné?
After words like mo (my) and do (your) the first letter is lenited: mo shainghné. After ár (our) it stays ár sainghné, because s does not take eclipsis.
How does 'sainghné' differ from 'gné'?
'Gné' means any aspect or feature, while 'sainghné' adds the prefix 'sain-' (special, particular), so it means a distinctive or characteristic feature.
