Samhain

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish Samhain.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsaʊ.wən/, /ˈsaʊ.wɪn/
• IPA^(key): (deprecated spelling pronunciation) /ˈsæm.heɪn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Proper noun

Samhain

1. A holiday, falling on the night of 31 October to 1 November, celebrated by the ancient Celts and by modern neo-pagans as the beginning of winter and the new year, and a time during which the spirits of the dead could return to the earth.
   • 1994, Edain McCoy, “Appendix Three: Outline for Ritual Construction”, in A Witch’s Guide to Faery Folk: How to Work with the Elemental World: […], St. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn Publishers, published 2004 (13th printing), →ISBN, page 354:

     Invite, but never command, friendly spirits, faeries, or elementals to join you as you wish. In some traditions it is common to invite ancestors to join you, especially during the dark days from Samhain to Imbolg when it is believed that the portal between our dimensions is at its thinnest.

Synonyms

• Halloween
• November Eve

Translations

holiday

• Asturian: Samaín m
• Esperanto: Saŭeno, Saveno
• French: Samain (fr)
• Galician: Samaín m
• Greek: Σόουιν (Sóouin), Σόγουιν (Sógouin)
• Japanese: サウィン
• Korean: 서우인 (Seou'in)
• Spanish: Samonis m

See also

• (Wiccan Sabbats) Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lughnasadh, Mabon ^{(Category: en:Wicca)}

Anagrams

• anhimas

Irish

FWOTD – 31 October 2012

Etymology

From Old Irish Samain (“Halloween”), from Proto-Celtic *Samonyos (compare Gaulish samoni-) or a genitive *samonis, either from Proto-Indo-European *smH-on- (“together; reunion, assembly”) (compare Old High German saman (“together”), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰 (samana, “together, in common”), Sanskrit समन (samaná, “together”), सम् (sám, “with”), Avestan 𐬵𐬀 (ha), 𐬵𐬀𐬨 (ham, “together”)), from the root *sem- (“together, whole”), or alternatively from the same element found in the compound *kentusamonyos (“beginning of summer”), a derivation from Proto-Celtic *samos (“summer”) (compare Old Irish sam (“summer”), Welsh haf (“summer”)) from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥h₂ós (“summer”) < *semh₂-.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /sˠɑ̃u(ə)nʲ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /sˠəunʲ/, /ˈsˠɑvˠən/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈsˠãuwənʲ/

Noun

Samhain f (genitive singular Samhna, nominative plural Samhnacha)

1. November
   • 21 January 1919, Constitution of Dáil Éireann, Fourth Article

     Beidh an tAireach freagarthach don Dáil san airgead a gheobhfar mar sin agus leagfaidh sé cúntaisí mionscrúduighthe ar chaitheamh an airgid fé bhrághaid na Dála dhá uair sa bhliadhain – um Shamhain is um Bealtaine.

     The Ministry shall be answerable to the Dáil for such moneys, and the accounts shall be audited with regard to the spending of money for the Dáil twice yearly – in November and May.

   • 18 September 2012, Foinse, Deir Mitt Romney go bhfuil vótálaithe Obama 'ag brath ar an rialtas' i bhfíseán a sceitheadh

     Is cosúil go bhfuil Romney ag labhairt le grúpa deontóirí saibhre níos luaithe i mbliana san fhíseán agus é ag labhairt go hoscailte faoina straitéis le díriú ar an bpíosa beag den daonra nach bhfuil cinneadh déanta acu go fóill i dtaobh toghchán na Samhna ...

     Romney appears to be talking to a group of rich donors earlier this year in the video, and he's talking openly about the strategy of targeting the small portion of the population who still haven't made a decision about November's election ...

2. Samhain (Celtic festival); (more generally) the first of November.
   • 1906, E. C. Quiggin, “Áindrías an Ime”, in A Dialect of Donegal: Being the Speech of Meenawannia in the Parish of Glenties, page 196:

     Seachtmhain roimhe Shamhain chuaidh an Seónstanach siar ⁊ seacht ngearráin ⁊ péire cliabh air ghach gearrán fá choinne a chuid ime.

     A week before Samhain, Johnstone went back with seven geldings and a pair of panniers on each gelding for his butter.

Declension

Declension of Samhain (fifth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative Samhain Samhnacha vocative a Shamhain a Shamhnacha genitive Samhna Samhnacha dative Samhain Samhnacha forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an tSamhain na Samhnacha genitive na Samhna na Samhnacha dative leis an tSamhain don tSamhain leis na Samhnacha

Derived terms

• Mí na Samhna (“Month of November”)
• Oíche Shamhna f (“Halloween”)
• Sean-Samhain

Mutation

Mutated forms of Samhain

radical	lenition	eclipsis
Samhain	Shamhain after an, tSamhain	not applicable

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

See also

• (Gregorian calendar months) Eanáir, Feabhra, Márta, Aibreán, Bealtaine, Meitheamh, Iúil, Lúnasa, Meán Fómhair, Deireadh Fómhair, Samhain, Mí na Nollag ^{(Category: ga:Months)}

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “Samhain”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “Samhain”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “Samhain”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• Samhainn

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsaũ.iɲ/

Proper noun

Samhain f (genitive Samhna)

1. (with article: an t-Samhain) November
2. All Saints' Day
3. All Souls' Day

Derived terms

• Oidhche Shamhna
• Samh (abbreviation)
• samhnag (“bonfire or torch used at Halloween”)
• samhnair (“trick-or-treater”)

Mutation

Mutation of Samhain

radical	lenition
Samhain	Shamhain after "an", t-Samhain

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

See also

• (Gregorian calendar months) Faoilleach, Gearran, Màrt, Giblean, Cèitean, Ògmhios, Iuchar, Lùnastal, Sultain, Dàmhair, Samhain, Dùbhlachd ^{(Category: gd:Gregorian calendar months)}