-een

suffix

Used to form the diminutives of nouns in Hiberno-English.

“poitín → poteen”

OriginIrish -ín →
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Meanings

suffix
  1. IrelandUsed to form the diminutives of nouns in Hiberno-English.

    man + -een → maneen (“little man”)

  2. IrelandUsed to anglicise the Irish -ín suffix when anglicising Irish nouns.

    poitín → poteen

Origin

  1. Irish-ín
  2. English-een

Borrowed from Irish -ín (diminutive suffix).

More words from Irish

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

-een. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-een

MLA

“-een.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-een. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-een,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-een.

Source: -een on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.