beirt

Etymology

From Middle Irish beirt (“pair, two (people)”), from bert (“burden, load; bundle”).^[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʲɛɾˠtʲ/^[2]
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /bˠɞɾʲtʲ/^[3] (as if spelled boirt)
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /bʲɨ̞ɾˠtʲ/^[4]

Noun

beirt f (genitive singular beirte, nominative plural beirteanna) (triggers lenition (except of d, s, and t))

1. (a group of) two, a pair
   1. (of persons)

      Tá beirt deartháireacha agam.

      I have two brothers.

      Bhí filíocht ag an mbeirt.

      The two composed poetry.

      • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 48:

        ə rug tøsə klȧn̄ riəv? rugəs, rug mḗ šešŕ̥, tā ḱǡŕ ȷīb agm̥, agəs kȧĺū bøŕc.

        [An rug tusa clann riamh? Rugas, rug mé seisear, tá ceathrar díobh agam, agus cailleadh beirt.]

        Did you ever have children? Yes, I had six, I have four [still] and two died.

   2. (of things, without dependent noun)

      Tá beirt de chaoirigh bhána sa ghort.

      There are a pair of white sheep in the field.

Mutation

References

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “beirt”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 64
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “beirt”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Noun

beirt f sg

1. genitive singular of beart

Mutation