# Samhain
## English
### Etymology

Borrowed from Irish Samhain.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsaʊ.wən/, /ˈsaʊ.wɪn/
* IPA: (deprecated spelling pronunciation) /ˈsæm.heɪn/
* Audio (US):(file)

### Proper noun

Samhain
* 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
### See also

* (Wiccan Sabbats) Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lughnasadh, Mabon

### Anagrams

* anhimas

## Irish
### 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: /sˠɑ̃u(ə)nʲ/
* (Connacht) IPA: /sˠəunʲ/, /ˈsˠɑvˠən/
* (Ulster) IPA: /ˈsˠãuwənʲ/

### Noun

Samhain f (genitive singular Samhna, nominative plural Samhnacha)
* 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 ...
* 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

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

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

### See also

* Eanáir
* Feabhra
* Márta
* Aibreán
* Bealtaine
* Meitheamh
* Iúil
* Lúnasa
* Meán Fómhair
* Deireadh Fómhair
* Samhain
* Mí na Nollag

### References

* ↑ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*samoni-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 322
* ↑ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 200, page 101
* ↑ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 144, page 57

### 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, 2013-2025

## Scottish Gaelic
### Alternative forms

* Samhainn

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsaũ.iɲ/

### Proper noun

Samhain f (genitive Samhna)
* (with article: an t-Samhain) November
* All Saints' Day
* All Souls' Day

#### Derived terms

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

### Mutation

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

### See also

* Faoilleach
* Gearran
* Màrt
* Giblean
* Cèitean
* Ògmhios
* Iuchar
* Lùnastal
* Sultain
* Dàmhair
* Samhain
* Dùbhlachd