Etymology 1
Uncertain. According to Matasović originally short /na/, from Proto-Celtic *ne, from Proto-Indo-European *ne (“not”).[1] According to Dunkel from Proto-Celtic *nā, from Proto-Indo-European *nó-h₁, from *ne + adverbial suffix *-h₁. In Old Irish the expected outcome would be *nú in a final syllable. The variant with á would adopted from originally disyllabic forms like nád (relative) and nách (before infixed pronoun).[2]
Particle
ná (triggers /h/-prothesis)
- don’t, let…not (particle used to introduce a negative imperative)
- c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 22b26
Ná bíth i cobadlus doïb, ar atá torad la gnímu soilse .i. praemia aeterna ní ḟil immurgu acht infructuosa.- Do not be in fellowship with them, for there is fruit with works of light, i.e. praemia aeterna. There is nothing [with works of darkness], however, save infructuosa.
- c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 25c6
Hóre ammi maicc laí et soilse, ná seichem nahísiu.- Since we are children of day and light, let us not follow these things.
- c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 55a1
Ná déne ainmnit.- Do not show patience.
- (literally, “Do not do patience.”)
Further reading
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 ná, na”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, §§ 862, 868, pages 539, 542; reprinted 2017
Etymology 2
Maybe from Proto-Celtic *nāwe (“or not”), from Proto-Indo-European *nó-h₁ (“not”) + *-we (“or”). Compare nó (“or”).
Conjunction
ná (triggers /h/-prothesis)
- (chiefly in the negative) or, nor
Quotations
- c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 49d3
.i. ní frithalim-se rucai ná mmebuil dam hisa suithin, ma fris·accar hi t’ainm-siu, a Dǽ- i.e. I expect neither shame nor disgrace to me for ever, if I hope in Your name, O God.
Further reading
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “4 ná”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 865, page 540; reprinted 2017
References
Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*ne, *ni, *nī”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 286
Dunkel, George E. (2014) “2.*nó-h₁ ‘nicht’”, in Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher) (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH Heidelberg, →ISBN, page 531