baileach

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish balach, bailech, bailioch (“successful, prosperous; exact”). Compare Scottish Gaelic baileach.

Adjective

baileach (genitive singular masculine bailigh, genitive singular feminine bailí, plural baileacha, comparative bailí)

1. (mainly used adverbially) exact
2. frugal, thrifty

Declension

Declension of baileach

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	baileach	bhaileach	baileacha; bhaileacha²
Vocative	bhailigh		baileacha
Genitive		bailí	baileacha	baileach
Dative	baileach; bhaileach¹	bhaileach; bhailigh (archaic)	baileacha; bhaileacha²
Comparative	níos bailí
Superlative	is bailí

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Derived terms

• baileachas m (“frugality, thriftiness”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
baileach	bhaileach	mbaileach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “baileach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 balach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “baileach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “baileach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish balach, bailech, bailioch (“successful, prosperous; exact”). By surface analysis, bail (“thrift”) +‎ -ach (adjectival suffix). Compare Irish baileach.

Adjective

baileach (genitive singular masculine bailich)

1. thrifty, economical, frugal, careful
2. excessive
3. thorough, complete

Derived terms

• mì-bhaileach (“extravagant, profuse, unthrifty”, adjective)

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
baileach	bhaileach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “baileach”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 balach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language