caile

Irish

Etymology

Unconfirmed but may be from Old Irish caile (“girl, serving-girl, maid”). A 1768 Irish-English dictionary explains caile as Old Irish a country woman, a marriageable girl, a young woman. The same and later dictionaries mention this as analogous to the Greek pulchra/pulcher calḗ (Καλή), and the Hebrew word calla spōnsa nurus which appears to mean prospective daughter in law.

By [1780] the word caile is showing as meaning either Old Irish strumpet, harlot or Old Irish young girl, queen and then appears far more frequently alongside the neural connotions.

If the origin of the word is caile meaning girl, it survives within the word gearrchaile

Noun

caile m or f (genitive singular caile, nominative plural cailí)

1. girl, wench

Declension

Masculine

Declension of caile

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative caile cailí Vocative a chaile a chailí Genitive caile cailí Dative caile cailí

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an caile na cailí Genitive an chaile na gcailí Dative leis an gcaile don chaile leis na cailí

Feminine

Declension of caile

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative caile cailí Vocative a chaile a chailí Genitive caile cailí Dative caile cailí

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an chaile na cailí Genitive na caile na gcailí Dative leis an gcaile don chaile leis na cailí

Derived terms

• caile daibhche (“washerwoman”)
• cailín

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
caile	chaile	gcaile
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “caile”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 caile”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Entries containing “caile” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Old Irish

Etymology

Possibly related to Breton plac'h (“girl”) which cognates with Latin paelex (“concubine”), Ancient Greek παλλακή (pallakḗ, “young girl”).

Noun

caile ? (genitive caile)

1. serving-girl, maid

Inflection

Accusative form in caili attested in the Middle Irish Book of Leinster manuscript points to feminine iā-stem declension but it might be just a late spelling of in caile. Classical Gaelic grammatical tracts list it among masculine nouns and genitive an chaile in bardic poetry points to masculine gender. In Modern Irish it appears both as a masculine and a feminine noun.

The declension table below assumes the accusative in caili from The Book of Leinster is correct for Old Irish.

Feminine iā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	caileL	cailiL	caili
Vocative	caileL	cailiL	caili
Accusative	cailiN	cailiL	caili
Genitive	caile	caileL	caileN
Dative	cailiL	cailib	cailib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Middle Irish: caile
  • Irish: caile
  • Scottish Gaelic: caile

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
caile	chaile	caile pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 caile”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

From Old Irish caile (“serving-girl, maid”); compare Breton plac’h (“girl”); Ancient Greek παλλακή (pallakḗ, “concubine”), Latin pellex.

Noun

caile f (genitive singular caile, plural cailean)

1. vulgar girl, quean, hussy
2. strumpet
3. (Argyll, Perthshire) any young girl
4. maidservant who does more or less other work than housework

   Synonym: caile-shearbhanta

Derived terms

• caile-bhalach (“romp, tomboy”)
• caile-circein (“shuttlecock”)
• caileag (“young girl”)
• (poetic) cailin (“maiden, young woman”)

 

Related terms

• ainnir
• gruagach
• maighdeann
• nighean
• òigh
• rìbhinn

 

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

caile f

1. capacity

Mutation

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

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “caile”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[2], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 caile”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language