Middle Irish

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Etymology

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From Old Irish aimser, from Proto-Celtic *amsterā (time, moment) (compare Middle Welsh amser), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂mh₁-eh₂, from the root *h₂meh₁- (to mow, reap, harvest).[1][2] Stifter suggests derivation from Proto-Celtic *ammansterā or *ammanstero, related to Old Irish amm (time), derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂etmn̥ (wandering), from the root *h₂et- (to go), thus cognate with Latin annus (year) and Gothic *𐌰𐌸𐌽 (*aþn) or *𐌰𐌸𐌽𐍃 (*aþns, year) (attested in 𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌸𐌽𐌹 (ataþni, year)).[3]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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aimser f (genitive aimsire, nominative plural aimsera)

  1. time
    • c. 1000, anonymous author, edited by Rudolf Thurneysen, Scéla Mucca Meic Dathó, Dublin: Stationery Office, published 1935, § 1, page 1, line 8:
      Is ⟨s⟩í sin in chōiced bruden ro·boī i nHērinn isind aimsir sin, ocus bruden Da-Derg i crích Cūalann ocus bruden Ḟorgaill Manaich ocus bruden Me[i]c Da-Rēo i mBrēfni ocus bruden Da-Choca i n‑īarthur Midi.
      That is one of the five halls that were (lit. That is the fifth hall that was) in Ireland at that time, [the others being] also the hall of Da-Derg in the territory of Cúalu, and the hall of Forgall Manach, and the hall of Mac Dareo in Bréifne, and the hall of Da-Choca in the west of Meath.

Inflection

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  • Accusative/dative singular: aimsir

Descendants

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  • Irish: aimsir
  • Manx: emshir
  • Scottish Gaelic: aimsir

Mutation

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Middle Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
aimser unchanged n-aimser
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

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  1. ^ Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008) “ḫamešḫa-”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 281
  2. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “amstera”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 33-34
  3. ^ David Stifter (2017) “Varia II. The Origin of Time”, in Ériu, volume 67, Royal Irish Academy, →DOI, pages 219–226

Further reading

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Old Irish

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Etymology

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From Proto-Celtic *amsterā (time, moment) (compare Middle Welsh amser), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂mh₁-eh₂, from the root *h₂meh₁- (to mow, reap, harvest).[1][2] Stifter suggests derivation from Proto-Celtic *ammansterā or *ammanstero, related to amm (time), derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂etmn̥ (wandering), from the root *h₂et- (to go), thus cognate with Latin annus (year) and Gothic *𐌰𐌸𐌽 (*aþn) or *𐌰𐌸𐌽𐍃 (*aþns, year) (attested in 𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌸𐌽𐌹 (ataþni, year)).[3]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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aimser f (genitive aimsire, nominative plural aimsera)

  1. point in time
    Synonyms: úar, tráth
    • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 51a18
      In tan imme·romastar són nach noíb, ara cuintea dílgud Dé isind aimsir sin.
      That is, when any saint sins, that he may seek the forgiveness of God at that time.
    • c. 845, St Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 26a6
      ɔ eperthae cía aiccent ⁊ cisí aimser derb thechtas
      so that it might be said what accent and what certain time it has
  2. period of time, season
    Synonyms: tráth, , síst
  3. age, epoch
  4. rule, reign
  5. season, weather
  6. (phonology) length

Inflection

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Feminine ā-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative aimserL aimsirL aimseraH
Vocative aimserL aimsirL aimseraH
Accusative aimsirN aimsirL aimseraH
Genitive aimsireH aimserL aimserN
Dative aimsirL aimseraib aimseraib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Mutation

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Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
aimser
(pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)
unchanged n-aimser
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

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  1. ^ Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008) “ḫamešḫa-”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 281
  2. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “amstera”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 33-34
  3. ^ David Stifter (2017) “Varia II. The Origin of Time”, in Ériu, volume 67, Royal Irish Academy, →DOI, pages 219–226

Further reading

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