maol

Maol is a term found in Irish and Scottish Gaelic with multiple uses in language, topography, and naming. It generally refers to a concept of baldness or bare presence, and this meaning underpins its various uses in place-names and personal names.

Etymology and meaning: The word derives from Gaelic maol, meaning bald, bare, or shorn. In religious and cultural contexts, the sense of being shaved or monastic is reflected in its association with monks and devotees. In toponymy, the core meaning of a bare or exposed feature is retained in descriptions of landscapes.

Toponymy: Maol is a common element in Gaelic place-names across Ireland and Scotland. As a descriptive toponym, it typically denotes a bare hill, rounded summit, or rocky promontory. In English-language renderings, maol-saturated names are often anglicized in various ways, including forms such as Mull or Moll, among others, depending on local phonology and historical spelling.

Religious and onomastic usage: In medieval Gaelic culture, maol could denote devotion to a saint or indicate monastic status when used in names. The element also survives in modern surnames and place names as a historical linguistic marker, though it is less productive as a standalone term today.

Modern usage: Today, Maol is primarily of linguistic and historical interest, discussed in studies of Gaelic toponymy and onomastics. It remains a recognizable element in older Gaelic names and in the names of places, rather than a common contemporary word.