beag
English edit
Etymology edit
Learned borrowing from Old English bēag (“circular jewelry worn on the body: ring, armlet, crown, collar”), from Proto-West Germanic *baug, from Proto-Germanic *baugaz, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewgʰ- (“to bend”). Cognate with dialectal German Baug (“ring, collar”), Icelandic baugur (“ring, circle”). Doublet of bee (“ring”). Related to bagel.
Noun edit
beag (plural beags)
- (historical) A ring.
- 1878, The Numismatic chronicle and journal of the Numismatic Society, Great Britain: Royal Numismatic Society:
- It was a mark of nobility among the German races — by some considered the origin of our coronets — and had even about it a quasi-religious character in memory of the "holy beag" (holy ring), the oath upon which was tantamount to the oath upon Thorr's hammer.
- 1970, William A. Chaney, The cult of kingship in Anglo-Saxon England:
- [...] and the description of that monarch in his anonymous Vita as coronatus lauro probably indicates a beag which was lighter than the formal diadema.
Anagrams edit
Irish edit
Etymology edit
From Old Irish bec (“small, little”)[1] (compare Manx beg, Scottish Gaelic beag), from Proto-Celtic *biggos (“small”) (compare Breton bihan and Welsh bach, bychan).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
beag (genitive singular masculine big, genitive singular feminine bige, plural beaga, comparative lú)
- small, little
- few (with a singular noun)
- Is beag áit is deise.
- There are few places that are nicer.
- le blianta beaga anuas
- for the past few years
Declension edit
Singular | Plural (m/f) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Positive | Masculine | Feminine | (strong noun) | (weak noun) |
Nominative | beag | bheag | beaga; bheaga² | |
Vocative | bhig | beaga | ||
Genitive | bige | beaga | beag | |
Dative | beag; bheag¹ |
bheag; bhig (archaic) |
beaga; bheaga² | |
Comparative | níos lú | |||
Superlative | is lú |
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 edit
- Áise Bheag f (“Asia Minor”)
- An Bhreatain Bheag f (“Wales”)
- anairt bheag f (“sailcloth, canvas”)
- baile beag m (“village, small town”)
- beag- (“small; -less; un-, in-”)
- beagadán m (“diminutive person; little one”)
- beagaigh (“lessen, diminish”, verb)
- beagán m (“a little, a bit, a few”)
- beagnach (“almost, nearly”, adverb)
- bilbí beag m (“lesser bilby”)
- caolán beag m (“ileum”)
- cóta beag m (“petticoat”)
- falcóg bheag f (“little auk”)
- méar bheag f (“little finger, pinkie”)
- pláta beag m (“side plate”)
- rón beag m (“common seal, harbor seal”)
- rud beag (“a little, a bit, somewhat”, adverb)
- samhradh beag (“Indian summer, warm autumn”)
- snáthaid bheag f (“fine needle; hour hand”)
- tae beag m (“high tea, afternoon tea”)
- tiomóid bheag f (“smaller catstail”)
- ulchabhán beag m (“little owl”)
Noun edit
beag m (genitive singular big, nominative plural beaganna)
Declension edit
Mutation edit
Irish mutation | ||
---|---|---|
Radical | Lenition | Eclipsis |
beag | bheag | mbeag |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
References edit
- ^ G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “bec”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- ^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 58
- ^ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 44
- ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 42
Further reading edit
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “beag”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- Entries containing “beag” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
- Entries containing “beag” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.
Old English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-West Germanic *baug, from Proto-Germanic *baugaz, derived from *beuganą (“to bend”). Cognate with Old Frisian bāg, Old Saxon bōg, Old High German boug, and Old Norse baugr.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
bēag m
- circular object worn on the body, especially one made of gold or silver: ring, armlet, crown, collar, torque
- c. 897, King Alfred's translation of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care
- Sē þe ūs ġehǣlþ fram þām stiċe ūrra synna, hē ġeþafode þæt him man sette þyrnenne bēag on þæt hēafod.
- The person who heals us from the stabs of our sins allowed a crown of thorns to be placed on his head.
- Late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Genesis 38:18
- Þā cwæþ Iūdas, "Hwæt wilt þū tō underwedde niman?" Þā cwæþ hēo, "Þīnne hring and þīnne bēag and þīnne stæf þe þū on handa hæfst."
- Judah asked, "What do you want to take as a pledge?" She said, "Your ring and your armlet and your staff that you have in your hand."
- c. 897, King Alfred's translation of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care
Usage notes edit
- Since Proto-Germanic times, different kinds of bēag were often disambiguated with compounds: earmbēag (“armlet”), hēafodbēag (“crown”), swēorbēag (“collar”). *Fingerbēag is not attested and may not have existed, perhaps because hring was already a specific word for "ring."
- During the 10th century, cynehelm begins to become the normal word for "crown."
Declension edit
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
Scottish Gaelic edit
Etymology edit
From Old Irish bec (“small, little”)[1] (compare Manx beg, Irish beag), from Proto-Celtic *biggos (“small”) (compare Breton bic’han and Welsh bach, bychan).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
beag (genitive singular masculine big, genitive singular feminine bige, nominative plural beaga, comparative bige or lugha)
- small, little, short, diminutive
- duine beag ― a small man
- ùine bheag ― a short time
- disagreeable
- Is beag orm thu. ― I hate you. (literally, “You are disagreeable to me.”)
- light, trifling, insignificant
- Is beag seo. ― This is a trifling thing.
- young
- na sionnaich bheaga ― the young foxes
- sordid, miserly, niggardly
- Is beag sin de Ghàidhlig. ― That is a poor sort of Gaelic.
- Tha e fìor bheag 'n a nàdar. ― He has a very niggardly disposition.
Declension edit
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
- baile beag m (“village, small town”)
- beag air bheag (“bit by bit”, adverb)
- beag bìodach (“tiny”, adjective)
- beag-sgèile (“small-scale”, adjective)
- beagan m (“a little, a few”)
- beith bheag f (“dwarf birch”)
- cailleach bheag a' chìrein f (“crested tit”)
- cailleach bheag an earbaill f (“long-tailed tit”)
- comhachag-bheag f (“little owl”)
- fèileadh beag m (“filibeg, kilt”)
- guilbneach-beag m (“whimbrel”)
- is fheàrr an teine beag a gharas na an teine mòr a loisgeas (“less is more”, literally “better is the small fire that warms than the great fire that burns”)
- neas bheag f (“weasel”)
- taigh beag m (“toilet, water closet”)
Mutation edit
Scottish Gaelic mutation | |
---|---|
Radical | Lenition |
beag | bheag |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
References edit
- ^ G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “bec”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language