balach

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish bachlach (“clown, churl”). Cognate with Rathlin Irish bachlach.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpal̪ˠəx/
• Hyphenation: ba‧lach

Noun

balach m (genitive singular balaich, plural balaich)

1. boy, lad
2. (card games) jack

Declension

Declension of balach (type I masculine noun)

Indefinite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	balach	balaich
Genitive	balaich	bhalach
Dative	balach	balaich
Definite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	(am) balach	(na) balaich
Genitive	(a') bhalaich	(nam) balach
Dative	(a') bhalach	(na) balaich
Vocative	(a) bhalaich	(a) bhalacha

Synonyms

• (boy): gille

Hyponyms

• (boy): See hyponyms under gille.

Derived terms

• balachail
• balachan
• balachan-sgoile

 

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
balach	bhalach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Colin Mark (2003), “balach”, in The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 57