breith

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish breth, verbal noun of beirid (“to carry, bear, bring forth, judge”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /bʲɾʲɛh/
• (Aran, Cois Fharraige, Ulster) IPA^(key): /bʲɾʲɛ/

Noun

breith f (genitive singular breithe, nominative plural breitheanna)

1. verbal noun of beir
2. birth
3. lay (of hens)
4. bearing capacity
5. bringing, taking
6. seizing; catching, overtaking
7. judgment, decision
8. injunction

Declension

Declension of breith

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative breith breitheanna Vocative a bhreith a bhreitheanna Genitive breithe breitheanna Dative breith breitheanna

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an bhreith na breitheanna Genitive na breithe na mbreitheanna Dative leis an mbreith don bhreith leis na breitheanna

Derived terms

• ainbhreith f (“perverse judgment, unjust judgment”)
• beobhreitheacht f (“viviparity”)
• breith clainne (“childbirth”)
• claonbhreith f (“perverse judgment, unjust judgment”)
• pobalbhreith f (“plebiscite”)

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
breith	bhreith	mbreith
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “breith”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “breth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume 52, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung
• Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 26
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 50

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish breth, verbal noun of beirid (“to carry, bear, bring forth, judge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾʲeh/

Noun

breith f (genitive singular breith, plural breithean)

1. opinion
2. assessment, judgment
3. decision
4. sentence, verdict

Derived terms

• breitheamh m (“judge”)
• breithnich, thoir breith (“judge”, verb)
• leth-bhreith f (“discrimination”)
• eadar-bhreith f (“arbitration”)

Noun

breith f (genitive singular breith, plural breithean)

1. verbal noun of beir
2. birth

Synonyms

• beirsinn

Derived terms

• còir-bhreith (“birthright”)
• co-latha breith (“birthday”)

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “breith”, 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), “breth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language