gan
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡæn/
- Rhymes: -æn
Etymology 1
See gin
Etymology 2
Probably a variant of gang, from Middle English gangen, from Old English gangan (“to step; walk; go”). More at gang.
Alternative forms
Verb
gan (third-person singular simple present gans, present participle gannin, simple past went, past participle gone)
- (obsolete outside Northumbria) To go.
References
- The New Geordie Dictionary, Frank Graham, 1987, →ISBN
- Newcastle 1970s, Scott Dobson and Dick Irwin,
- Todd's Geordie Words and Phrases, George Todd, Newcastle, 1977
- A List of words and phrases in everyday use by the natives of Hetton-le-Hole in the County of Durham, F.M.T.Palgrave, English Dialect Society vol.74, 1896,
- Northumberland Words, English Dialect Society, R. Oliver Heslop, 1893–4
- A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, →ISBN
Bambara
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ɡã˦]
Dutch Low Saxon
Irish
Etymology
From Old Irish cen (“besides; without”), from Proto-Celtic *kina (“besides”); compare Middle Welsh am-gen (“otherwise”), Breton ken (“otherwise”).
Pronunciation
Preposition
gan (plus nominative, triggers no mutation in specific references but lenition in general references)
Usage notes
- Triggers lenition of b, c, g, m, p on unmodified nouns, e.g. gan phingin (“without a penny”). Does not trigger lenition on modified nouns, e.g. gan pingin ina phóca (“without a penny in his pocket”). In the meaning ‘not’, does not trigger lenition on either a verbal noun or on the direct object of the verbal noun, e.g. gan ceannach ‘not to buy’, gan pingin a shaothrú ‘not to earn a penny’.
Derived terms
- gan áireamh (“countless, incalculable”)
- gan aithne gan urlabhra (“comatose; dead”)
- gan amhras (“undoubtedly”)
- gan aon agó (“undoubtedly”)
- gan bhail (“invalid, void”)
- gan bheartú (“unpremeditated”)
- gan bhlas (“flavourless”)
- gan bhogadh (“still, impassive”)
- gan bhréag gan áibhéil (“in plain fact”)
- gan cháim (“flawless”)
- gan choinne (“unexpected(ly)”)
- gan choinníoll (“unconditional(ly)”)
- gan chor (“motionless”)
- gan chuimhneamh (“inadvertently”)
- gan chuimse (“limitless”)
- gan chumas, gan mhaith, gan bhrí (“impotent”)
- gan dícheall (“without fail”)
- gan doic (“unhesitatingly”)
- gan dua (“effortless(ly)”)
- gan dúshraith (“baseless”)
- gan éifeacht (“inefficient”)
- gan éislis (“without fail”)
- gan fáth gan ábhar (“for no reason whatever”)
- gan fheiceáil (“unseen”)
- gan fhios (“unknown; secretly”)
- gan locht (“blameless”)
- gan mhuinchillí (“sleeveless”)
- gan mórán achair (“shortly”)
- gan on (“faultless, unblemished”)
Further reading
- "gan" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
- “cen” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
- Entries containing “gan” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
- Entries containing “gan” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.
Kurdish
Latvian
Usage notes
Used in pairs: gan jauna, gan skaista "both young and beautiful"
Mandarin
Romanization
gan
Usage notes
- English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old English ġeġn.
Etymology 2
From Old English gān.
Etymology 3
From Old English gān, ġegān.
Old Dutch
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *gāną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- (“to leave”).
Inflection
infinitive | gān | |
---|---|---|
indicative | present | past |
1st person singular | gā | geng |
2nd person singular | gest | gengi |
3rd person singular | get | geng |
1st person plural | gān | gengun |
2nd person plural | gāt | gengut |
3rd person plural | gānt | gengun |
subjunctive | present | past |
1st person singular | gā | gengi |
2nd person singular | gās, gāst | gengis, gengist |
3rd person singular | gā | gengi |
1st person plural | gān | gengin |
2nd person plural | gāt | gengit |
3rd person plural | gān | gengin |
imperative | present | |
singular | gā | |
plural | gāt | |
participle | present | past |
gangandi | gegangon |
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *gāną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- (“to leave”). The verb was defective in Germanic and may only have existed in the present tense.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡɑːn/
Conjugation
infinitive | gān | tō gānne |
---|---|---|
indicative | present | past |
1st-person singular | gā | ēode |
2nd-person singular | gǣst | ēodest |
3rd-person singular | gǣþ | ēode |
plural | gāþ | ēodon |
subjunctive | present | past |
singular | gā | ēode |
plural | gān | ēoden |
imperative | ||
singular | gā | |
plural | gāþ | |
participle | present | past |
gangende | gān, (ġe)gangen |
Alternative forms
Derived terms
Old Frisian
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *gāną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- (“to leave”).
Inflection
infinitive | gān | |
---|---|---|
indicative | present | past |
1st person singular | gā | geng |
2nd person singular | gēst | gengest |
3rd person singular | gēth | geng |
plural | gāth | gengun |
subjunctive | present | past |
singular | gāe | genge |
plural | gāe, gāen | genge, gengen |
imperative | present | |
singular | gā | |
plural | gāth | |
participle | present | past |
gānde, gangande | egangen, gangen |
Old Saxon
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *gāną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₁- (“to leave”).
Conjugation
infinitive | gān | |
---|---|---|
indicative | present | past |
1st person singular | *gā | gēng |
2nd person singular | *gēs | gēngi |
3rd person singular | gēd | gēng |
plural | *gād | gēngun |
subjunctive | present | past |
1st person singular | *gāe | gēngi |
2nd person singular | *gāes | gēngis |
3rd person singular | *gāe | gēngi |
plural | *gāen | gēngin |
imperative | present | |
singular | *gā | |
plural | *gād | |
participle | present | past |
gāndi | gigangan, gangan |
Scots
Etymology
From Northern Middle English gan, from Old English gān (“to go”). Past tense supplied by Old English wenden (“to wend”).
Scottish Gaelic
Usage notes
- Before words beginning with b, f, m or p gam is used instead.
Vietnamese
Etymology
From Proto-Vietic *t-kaːn, from Old Chinese 肝 (“liver”) (SV: can).
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ɣaːn˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ɣaːŋ˧˧]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ɣaːŋ˧˧]
Noun
gan
Volapük
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ɡan]
Declension
Hyponyms
Derived terms
- ganablöt (“breast of goose”)
- ganafoad (“goose liver”)
- ganafoadabastet (“pâté de foie gras, goose liver pâté”)
- ganalecek (“goose-pen, enclosure for geese”)
- ganaleplüm (“goose quill”)
- gananäst (“goose's nest”)
- gananög (“goose's egg”)
- ganapinod (“goose fat”)
- ganapüladil (“goose giblets”)
- ganaskin (“goose skin”)
- ganigaledan (“gooseherd”)
- nifagan (“snow goose”), Chen caerulescens
Welsh
Pronunciation
- (North Wales) (standard) (colloquial) IPA(key): /ɡan/
- (North Wales) (colloquial) IPA(key): /ɡɪn/
- (South Wales) IPA(key): /ɡan/
Preposition
gan
- with
- by (authorship)
- (North Wales) to indicate possession
- Mae gen i wallt hir.
- I have long hair.
- used with verbal noun to indicate an action simultaneous with that of the main verb
- 1993, Gareth King, Modern Welsh: A Comprehensive Grammar, London: Routledge, →ISBN, p. 131:
- Aeth o gwmpas y stafell gan ofyn yr un cwestiwn i bawb.
- He went around the room asking everyone the same question.
- Aeth o gwmpas y stafell gan ofyn yr un cwestiwn i bawb.
- 1993, Gareth King, Modern Welsh: A Comprehensive Grammar, London: Routledge, →ISBN, p. 131:
Inflection
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡan/