Muin
/mˠunʲ/noun
An Irish word meaning “neck,” “nape,” or “back,” and the name of the fifth letter of the Ogham alphabet.
Did you know?Medieval Irish tradition connected Muin with the fifth Ogham letter and often glossed it as “vine,” although scholars debate whether the tree associations were original or later interpretations.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mon-
“Neck, nape, or the bodily region from which the mane grows”
Proto-Celtic
Proto-Celtic
*moni-
“Neck or nape”
Old Irish
Old Irish
muin
“Neck, nape, or back”
Medieval Ireland
Middle Irish
Muin
“Name of the fifth Ogham letter; traditionally associated with a vine”
Modern Irish
Irish
muin
“Neck, nape, or back”
Modern English
English
Muin
“A term used in English discussions of Irish Ogham writing and Celtic symbolism”
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