-áil

Irish

Suffix

-áil

1. suffix used to form verbal nouns

   fáil, formerly spelled fagháil, verbal noun of faigh (“to get”)

   gabháil, verbal noun of gabh (“to take”)

2. suffix used productively to form denominative verbs and their associated verbal nouns

   iarnáil (“to iron”), from iarann (“iron”)

   spágáil (“to shamble, trudge”), from spág (“a big, clumsy foot”)

Usage notes

This suffix is particularly common with English loanwords. The Irish-language poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh in his poem "Cainteoir Dúchais" (published 1997 in the collection Out in the Open) uses the following verbs:

• hoovereáil — to hoover
• jeyes-fluideáil — to disinfect with Jeyes Fluid
• harpickeáil — to clean with Harpic
• vimeáil — to clean with Vim
• flasháil — to clean with Flash
• windoleneáil — to clean with Windolene
• eau-de-cologneáil — to apply eau de Cologne to
• shagáilte — shagged out
• cruiseáil — to cruise

Derived terms

[+] Irish words suffixed with -áil