athair

See also: Athair

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈɑhəɾʲ/
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈæhəɾʲ/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /æːɾʲ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈahæɾʲ/ (as if spelled atháir)

Etymology 1

From Old Irish athair, from Proto-Celtic *ɸatīr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr.

Noun

athair m (genitive singular athar, nominative plural aithreacha)

1. father (male parent; term of address for a priest; male ancestor more remote than a parent, a progenitor)

   Fuair m’athair bás.

   My father died.

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 21:

     ḱē n xȳ ə wil tū, ə æhŕ̥?

     Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú, a athair? (conventional orthography)

     How are you, father? [could be addressed to one’s own father or to a priest, as in English]

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:

     mə æhŕəxə

     m’aithreacha (conventional orthography)

     my fathers, my ancestors

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:

     nə h-æhŕəxə n̄ȳfe

     na haithreacha naofa (conventional orthography)

     the Church Fathers

2. ancestor
3. sire

Declension

Declension of athair

Fifth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative athair aithreacha Vocative a athair a aithreacha Genitive athar aithreacha Dative athair aithreacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an t-athair na haithreacha Genitive an athar na n-aithreacha Dative leis an athair don athair leis na haithreacha

• Archaic nominative/vocative plural: aithre
• Archaic genitive plural: aithreach
• Archaic dative plural: aithribh, aithreachaibh

Coordinate terms

• iníon (“daughter”)
• máthair (“mother”)
• mac (“son”)

Derived terms

• Aithreacha na Cathrach
• aithriúil
• Ár nAthair
• ardathair
• athair altrama
• athair céile
• athair críonna
• athair faoistine
• athair mór
• athair muintire
• athair naofa
• Athair Naofa
• Athair Síoraí
• Athair-Mhac
• Dia an tAthair
• leasathair
• seanathair
• sin-seanathair
• uasalathair

 

Related terms

• aithriúil (“fatherly”, adjective)

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “athair”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 athair”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “athair”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page aṫair
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 14

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

athair f (genitive singular athrach)

1. creeper
2. Alternative form of nathair (“snake”)

Declension

Declension of athair

Fifth declension

Bare forms (no plural for this noun): Case Singular Nominative athair Vocative a athair Genitive athrach Dative athair

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Nominative an athair Genitive na hathrach Dative leis an athair don athair

Derived terms

• athair thalún (“milfoil, yarrow”)

Mutation

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

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• athir

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *ɸatīr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈaθɨrʲ]

Noun

athair m (genitive athar, nominative plural aithir)

1. father

Inflection

Masculine r-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	athair	athairL	aithir
Vocative	athair	athairL	aithrea
Accusative	athairN	athairL	aithrea
Genitive	athar	athar	aithreN, athraeN
Dative	athairL	aithrib, athraib	aithrib, athraib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

• athramail

Descendants

• Irish: athair
• Manx: ayr
• Scottish Gaelic: athair

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
athair	unchanged	n-athair
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), “1 athair”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish athair, from Proto-Celtic *ɸatīr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈahəɾʲ/

Noun

athair m (genitive singular athar, plural athraichean)

1. father

Declension

Declension of athair (type Vb masculine noun)

Indefinite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	athair	athraichean
Genitive	athar	athraichean
Dative	athair	athraichean
Definite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	(an) t-athair	(na) h-athraichean
Genitive	(an) athar	(nan) athraichean
Dative	(an) athair	(na) h-athraichean
Vocative	(a) athair	(a) athraichean

Antonyms

• màthair

Derived terms

• athair-baistidh (“godfather”)
• athair-cèile (“father-in-law”)
• bràthair-athar (“paternal uncle”)
• Là nan Athraichean (“Father's Day”)
• piuthar-athar (“paternal aunt”)
• taobh athar (“paternal”)

 

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
athair	n-athair	h-athair	t-athair
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 athair”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language