a-mhàin

See also: amháin

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish amáin, from Old Irish nammá (“only, merely”), a petrified phrase derived from a negated form of má (“more”) (a comparative form of mór, már (“great”)), thus “not more”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈvaːɲ/

Adverb

a-mhàin

1. only, alone
2. purely

Further reading

• MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “a-mhàin”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎, Stirling, →ISBN