séitig

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• sétig

Etymology

From an earlier meaning of "companion," from Proto-Celtic *sentikī, related to *sentus (“way, path”), also the source of sét (“path”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsʲeːdʲəɣʲ/

Noun

séitig f (genitive séitche, nominative plural séitchi)

1. wife, consort

   Synonym: ben

   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 10^a30

     Manid co séitchi ro·cretis, na·tuic séitchi iar cretim.

     If you sg have not believed with a wife, do not take a wife after believing.

   • c. 850-875, Turin Glosses and Scholia on St Mark, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 484–94, Tur. 108^a

     .i. is ed ainm setche Samsóin.

     [Delilah], it is the name of Samson's wife.

2. female companion
   • c. 815-840, “The Monastery of Tallaght”, in Edward J. Gwynn, Walter J. Purton, transl., Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, volume 29, Royal Irish Academy, published 1911-1912, paragraph 11, pages 115-179:

     Áos aithrigi tra ind í chetamus bíte fri tnúith ⁊ ad·ellad ilsétchi ⁊ dua·mberar cland, .uii. bliadna dóib oc pendaind.

     Now as to penitents, first, those that are given to lust, and that frequent various mates and have children born to them: seven years for them of penance.

Declension

Feminine ī-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	séitigL	séitigL	séitchiH
Vocative	séitigL	séitigL	séitchiH
Accusative	séitchiN	séitigL	séitchiH
Genitive	séitcheH	séitcheL	séitcheN
Dative	séitchiL	séitchib	séitchib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
séitig	ṡéitig	unchanged
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), “séitig”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Matasović, Ranko (2009) “sentu”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 330