céad

See also: cead

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ciːa̯d̪ˠ/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ceːd̪ˠ/

Etymology 1

Irish numbers ^(edit)

←  10	←  90	100	1,000  →
		10
Cardinal: céad     Ordinal: céadú

From Old Irish cét, from Proto-Celtic *kantom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm.

Alternative forms

• ceud (obsolete)

Numeral

céad

1. hundred

Derived terms

• céad míle fáilte

Noun

céad m (genitive singular céid, nominative plural céadta)

1. (group of a) hundred
2. century
3. hundredweight

Declension

Declension of céad

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative céad céadta Vocative a chéid a chéadta Genitive céid céadta Dative céad céadta

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an céad na céadta Genitive an chéid na gcéadta Dative leis an gcéad don chéad leis na céadta

Synonyms

• (century): aois
• (hundredweight): céad meáchain

Etymology 2

Irish numbers ^(edit)

		10
		1	2  → [a], [b]	10  →
Cardinal: aon     Ordinal: céad, aonú     Ordinal abbreviation: 1ú     Personal: aonar     Attributive: amháin

From Old Irish cét-, from Proto-Celtic *kentus (“first”), from Proto-Indo-European *ken- (“new, fresh”); cognate with Latin recēns (“recent”) and Ancient Greek καινός (kainós, “new”).

Adjective

céad (indeclinable) (triggers lenition (except of d, s, and t))

1. first

   an chéad fhear ― the first man

   na chéad daoine ― the first people

   ar an gcéad líne ― on the first line

Usage notes

• Usually preceded by the definite article, and always lenited after the article except in the dative singular, where it mutates according to the preposition used.

Derived terms

• Céadaoin
• céadphroinn

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
céad	chéad	gcéad
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “céad”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 122
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “céad”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Ó Dónaill, Niall, Ua Maoileoin, Pádraig (1991) “céad”, in An Foclóir Beag (in Irish), Dublin: An Gúm
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “céad”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “céad”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024