bláith

Irish

Etymology

Old Irish bláith (“soft, smooth”) from earlier mláith, from Proto-Celtic *mlātis (“soft, tender”), from Proto-Indo-European *ml̥h₂-ti-s ~ *ml̥h₁-téy-s, from *melh₂- (“to crush, grind”) + *-tis. Originally meant "ground soft".

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /bˠl̪ˠɑː/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /bˠlˠɑː/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /bˠlˠaː/

Adjective

bláith (genitive singular masculine bláith, genitive singular feminine bláithe, plural bláithe, comparative bláithe)

1. (literary) smooth, delicate, beautiful

Declension

Declension of bláith

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	bláith	bhláith	bláithe; bhláithe²
Vocative	bhláith		bláithe
Genitive		bláithe	bláithe	bláith
Dative	bláith; bhláith¹	bhláith	bláithe; bhláithe²
Comparative	níos bláithe
Superlative	is bláithe

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

Derived terms

• bláithe (“smoothness”)
• bláithfholt (“glossy hair”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bláith	bhláith	mbláith
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.