aimsir

Irish

Alternative forms

• aimsear

Etymology

From Old Irish aimser (compare Manx emshir), from Proto-Celtic *amsterā (“time, moment”) (compare Welsh amser and Breton amzer).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈɑimʲʃəɾʲ/
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈæmʲʃəɾʲ/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /ˈæːmʲʃəɾʲ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈamʲʃəɾʲ/

Noun

aimsir f (genitive singular aimsire, nominative plural aimsirí)

1. (uncountable) weather

   Synonym: síon

2. (uncountable) time

   Is maith an scéalaí an aimsir.

   Time is a good storyteller.

3. (countable) time of year, season
4. (countable) period of service
5. (countable) period of gestation
6. (countable, grammar) tense

   comhleanúint na n-aimsirí ― sequence of tenses

Declension

Declension of aimsir

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative aimsir aimsirí Vocative a aimsir a aimsirí Genitive aimsire aimsirí Dative aimsir aimsirí

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an aimsir na haimsirí Genitive na haimsire na n-aimsirí Dative leis an aimsir don aimsir leis na haimsirí

Derived terms

• aimsir chaite (“past tense”)
• aimsir mhór (“foul weather”)
• an tseanaimsir (“old times”)
• anaimsir
• buachaill aimsire
• cailín aimsire
• cairt aimsire
• caitheamh aimsire (“amusement, pastime”)
• cianaimsir (“a long time”)
• crua-aimsir (“severe weather”)
• fronta aimsire (“weather front”)
• gloine aimsire (“weatherglass”)
• iar-aimsire (“of later time”, adjective)
• iomrall aimsire (“anachronism”)
• léarscáil aimsire
• mapa aimsire
• satailít aimsire

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
aimsir	n-aimsir	haimsir	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “aimsir”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “aimsear”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 12
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “aimsir”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “aimsir”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Middle Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈamʲɕərʲ/

Noun

aimsir

1. accusative/dative singular of aimser

Mutation

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

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈamʲsʲirʲ]

Noun

aimsir

1. inflection of aimser:
   1. accusative/dative singular
   2. nominative/vocative/accusative dual

Mutation

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

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish aimser f, from Proto-Celtic *amsterā (“time, moment”) (compare Welsh amser).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛ.mɛ.ʃɪɾʲ/, /ˈɛ.mi.ʃɪɾʲ/

Noun

aimsir f (genitive singular aimsir or aimsire, plural aimsirean)

1. time, epoch, season

   an aimsir a chaidh ― the past (lit. time that went)

   an t-seann aimsir ― old time(s)

   an aimsir seo ― these times

2. weather, climate

   Tha droch aimsir ann an-diugh. ― The weather is bad today. (lit. There is bad weather there today.)

Declension

Declension of aimsir (class IIb feminine noun)

Indefinite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	aimsir	aimsirean
Genitive	aimsire, aimsir	aimsirean
Dative	aimsir	aimsirean; aimsiribh✝
Definite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	(an) aimsir	(na) h-aimsirean
Genitive	(na) h-aimsire, h-aimsir	(nan) aimsirean
Dative	(an) aimsir	(na) h-aimsirean; h-aimsiribh✝
Vocative	aimsir	aimsirean

^✝ obsolete form, used until the 19th century

Synonyms

• (season): ràith
• (weather): sìde

Derived terms

• atharrachadh aimsir (“climate change”)
• gearraimsir (“short time”)

Mutation

Mutation of aimsir

Radical	Eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
aimsir	n-aimsir	h-aimsir	t-aimsir

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “aimsir”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “aimser”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language