Gael

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish Gael, alt. Gaol, from earlier Gaoidheal, cognate with Scottish Gaelic Gàidheal and Manx Gael, from Middle Irish Gaídel, from Old Irish Goídel (“Irishman”), a loanword from Old Welsh Guoidel (“wild man, warrior”) (also recorded as a personal name in the Book of Llandaff), from Proto-Brythonic *guɨðel (“savage, woodsman”), from Proto-Celtic *weidelos (“savage, woodsman”), related to *weidus (“wild”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“wood, wilderness”) (cf. Old English wāþ (“hunt”)).^[1] Doublet of Goidel, unrelated to Gaul or Gallia.

Medieval Irish traditions, including the Lebor Gabála Érenn, trace the origin of the Goídels to an eponymous ancestor, Goídel Glas, but this is no longer held to be the ultimate etymology of the word.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡeɪl/
• Rhymes: -eɪl
• Homophones: gale, Gail, Gayle

Noun

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Gael

Wikipedia

Gael (plural Gaels)

1. A member of an ethnic group in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, whose language is one that is Gaelic.
   • 1911, G.K. Chesterton, The Ballad of the White Horse, Book II: The Gathering Of The Chiefs:

     For the great Gaels of Ireland
     Are the men that God made mad,
     For all their wars are merry,
     And all their songs are sad.

Proper noun

Gael (plural Gaels)

1. An unknown-gender given name.

References

Anagrams

• Gale, Lega, egal, gale, geal, lage, leag

Alternative forms

• Gaedheal (Ulster, otherwise superseded)
• Gaoidheal (superseded)
• Gaol (Munster, in dialect writing)

Etymology

From Old Irish Goídel,^[1] from Old Welsh Guoidel (“wild man, warrior”) (compare Welsh Gwyddel (“Irishman”)), from Proto-Brythonic *guɨðel, from Proto-Celtic *weidus (“wild”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“wood, wilderness”) (compare Old English wāþ (“hunt”)).^[2]

Replaced native terms féni (“class of landed Irish freemen”) and fénechas (“matters pertaining to the féni”), though these words survive as féine and féineachas, respectively, and derive ultimately from the same root.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡeːl̪ˠ/, /ɡeːlˠ/^[3]

Noun

Gael m (genitive singular Gaeil, nominative plural Gaeil)

1. Gael, Gaelic person
2. (~ de chuid na hAlban) (Scottish) Highlander

   Synonyms: duine as an nGàidhealtachd, Híleantóir

Mutation

References

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “Gael”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “Gael”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “Gael”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡaˈel/ [ɡaˈel]
• Rhymes: -el
• Syllabification: Ga‧el

Proper noun

Gael m

1. a male given name