áith

Irish

Pronunciation

(Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /ɑː(h)/
(Ulster) IPA^(key): /ãːç/, [ãːi̯ç]^[1]

Etymology 1

From Old Irish áith f (“drying-kiln (for grain)”), from Proto-Celtic *ātis, from the same root as *h₂eh₁ter- (“fire”) (compare Latin āter).^[2]

Noun

áith f (genitive singular áithe, nominative plural áitheanna or áithí)

kiln
- 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 14:
  ńīl ēn ā sn̥ ilān šə, ax tā mōrān akəb ə gonəmárə.
  [Níl aon áith san oileán seo, ach tá mórán acu i gConamara.]
  There’s no kiln on this island, but there are a lot of them in Connemara.
- 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 14:
  tā n ā ʒā l̄oskə.
  [Tá an áith dhá loscadh.]
  The kiln is burning.

Declension

Declension of áith (second declension)

bare forms
case	singular	plural
nominative	áith	áitheanna
vocative	a áith	a áitheanna
genitive	áithe	áitheanna
dative	áith	áitheanna

forms with the definite article
case	singular	plural
nominative	an áith	na háitheanna
genitive	na háithe	na n-áitheanna
dative	leis an áith don áith	leis na háitheanna

Derived terms

áith allais f (“sweat-house”)
áith aoil f (“lime-kiln”)
áith choirce f (“corn-kiln”)
áitheadóir m (“kiln worker”)

Etymology 2

From Old Irish áith (“sharp, keen, acute”).^[3]

Adjective

áith

(literary) sharp, keen

Declension

Declension of *áith*
	singular		plural (m/f)
Positive	masculine	feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
nominative	áith	áith	áithe
vocative	áith	áith	áithe
genitive	áith	áithe	áithe	áith
dative	áith	áith	áithe
Comparative	níos áithe
Superlative	is áithe

Mutation

Mutated forms of *áith*
radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
áith	n-áith	háith	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 57
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 áith (‘drying kiln’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 áith (‘sharp, keen’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Irish

FWOTD – 7 April 2024

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [aːθʲ]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *atti-, ultimately from the root of aiteann (“gorse”).

Adjective

áith (equative áthithir, comparative áithiu, superlative áithem)

sharp
- 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. 72^b8
  amal in scrissid .i. amal in n-altain n-áith [translating rasorium acutum].
  Like the scraper, i.e. like the sharp razor.

Inflection

i-stem
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	áith	áith	áith
Vocative	áith	áith
Accusative	áith	áith
Genitive	áith	áithe	áith
Dative	áith	áith	áith
Plural	Masculine	Feminine/neuter
Nominative	áithi	áithi
Vocative	áithi
Accusative	áithi
Genitive	áith* áithe
Dative	áithib
Notes	*not when substantivized

Descendants

Middle Irish: áith
- Irish: áith

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *ātis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₁-.^[1]

Noun

áith f (genitive átho)

drying-kiln for grains

Inflection

Feminine i-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	áith	áith^L	áthai^H
Vocative	áith	áith^L	áthai^H
Accusative	áith^N	áith^L	áthai^H
Genitive	átho^H, átha^H	átho^H, átha^H	áthae^N
Dative	áith^L	áthaib	áthaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: ^H = triggers aspiration ^L = triggers lenition ^N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

Middle Irish: áith
- Irish: áith
- Scottish Gaelic: àth
- Manx: aiee

Mutation

Mutation of *áith*
radical	lenition	nasalization
áith (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	unchanged	n-áith

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*āti-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 45

Rohingya

Numeral

áith

sixty

[1] Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 57

[2] Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 áith (‘drying kiln’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

[3] Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 áith (‘sharp, keen’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

[4] Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*āti-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 45

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áith

Contents

Irish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Adjective

Declension

Mutation

References

Further reading

Old Irish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Adjective

Inflection

Descendants

Etymology 2

Noun

Inflection

Descendants

Mutation

References

Further reading

Rohingya

Numeral