eala
Irish edit
Etymology edit
From Middle Irish ela, elae, from Old Irish elu,[1] from Proto-Celtic *eli- (“swan”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- (“swan”). Cognates within Celtic include Breton alarc’h, Cornish alargh, Welsh alarch, and outside Celtic Latin olor and Ancient Greek ἐλέα (eléa, “marsh bird”).[2]
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
eala f (genitive singular eala, nominative plural ealaí)
- swan
- 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:
- xøn̄ik mē ȧlə eŕ ə l̄ox.
- [Chonaic mé eala ar an loch.]
- I saw a swan on the lake.
- 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:
- əs mō šḱihān ən ȧlə n̄ā šḱihān ǵē.
- [Is mó sciathán an eala ná sciathán gé.]
- The wing of the swan is larger than the wing of a goose.
- 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:
- xuə šȧxt n-ȧlə harm̥ sn̥ ēr əńú.
- [Chuaigh seacht n-eala tharam san aer inniu.]
- Seven swans went past me in the air today.
Declension edit
Declension of eala
- Archaic dative singular: ealainn
Mutation edit
| Irish mutation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Radical | Eclipsis | with h-prothesis | with t-prothesis |
| eala | n-eala | heala | not applicable |
| 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), “1 ela”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*elV-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 114–15
- ^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 75
- ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 81
Further reading edit
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “eala”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 276
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “eala”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Old English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Perhaps from a compound whose elements answer to ēa (“oh!, ah!”) + lā (“lo”). Compare Old Frisian ēala (“hail!, hello!”).
Pronunciation edit
Interjection edit
ēalā
- oh; hey
- Ēalā frēond, hwȳ eart þū swā sċēoh?
- Oh friend, why are you so shy?
- late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History
- Ēalā brōðor Eċġberht, ēalā, hwæt dydest þū?
- Oh brother Egbert, oh, what have you done?
Conjunction edit
ēalā
- if only
- c. 897, King Alfred's translation of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care
- Ēalā wǣre hē āwðer oþþe hāt oþþe ċeald.
- If only he was either hot or cold.
- c. 897, King Alfred's translation of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care
Derived terms edit
Descendants edit
Old Frisian edit
Interjection edit
ēala
- hail!
- Eala, frya Fresena!
- Hail, free Frisians!
Scottish Gaelic edit
Etymology edit
From Middle Irish ela, elae, from Old Irish elu, from Proto-Celtic *eli- (“swan”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- (“swan”).
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
eala f (genitive singular ealaidh, plural ealachan)
Mutation edit
| Scottish Gaelic mutation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Radical | Eclipsis | with h-prothesis | with t-prothesis |
| eala | n-eala | h-eala | t-eala |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | |||