ballach

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish ballach. By surface analysis, ball (“spot, mark”) +‎ -ach.

Pronunciation

• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈbˠal̪ˠəx/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈbˠal̪ˠa(x)/
• Hyphenation: bal‧lach

Adjective

ballach (genitive singular masculine ballaigh, genitive singular feminine ballaí, plural ballacha, comparative ballaí)

1. spotted, blotchy, dappled, mottled, speckled

Declension

Declension of ballach

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	ballach	bhallach	ballacha; bhallacha²
Vocative	bhallaigh		ballacha
Genitive		ballaí	ballacha	ballach
Dative	ballach; bhallach¹	bhallach; bhallaigh (archaic)	ballacha; bhallacha²
Comparative	níos ballaí
Superlative	is ballaí

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Noun

ballach m (genitive singular ballaigh, nominative plural ballaigh)

1. wrasse

Declension

Declension of ballach

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative ballach ballaigh Vocative a bhallaigh a bhallacha Genitive ballaigh ballach Dative ballach ballaigh

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an ballach na ballaigh Genitive an bhallaigh na mballach Dative leis an mballach don bhallach leis na ballaigh

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
ballach	bhallach	mballach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ballach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “ballach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “ballach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “ballach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish ballach. By surface analysis, ball (“spot, mark”) +‎ -ach.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

ballach

1. spotted, speckled, variegated

Derived terms

• fiabhras-ballach

Mutation

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “ballach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language