bóín Dé

Irish

bóín Dé

Etymology

From bó (“cow”) +‎ -ín (diminutive suffix) + Dé (“of God”): literally “God's little cow”. Compare Russian бо́жья коро́вка (bóžʹja koróvka), Polish boża krówka, Dutch lieveheersbeestje.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbˠoːiːnʲ ˈdʲeː]

Noun

bóín Dé m (genitive singular bóín Dé, nominative plural bóíní Dé)

1. ladybug, ladybird (beetle)

   Synonym: bóín samhraidh

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bóín Dé	bhóín Dé	mbóín Dé
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bóín Dé”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Entries containing “bóín Dé” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “bóín Dé” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.