cearc

Irish

cearc

Etymology

From Old Irish cerc, from Proto-Celtic *kerkā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /caɾˠk/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /cæːɾˠk/

Noun

cearc f (genitive singular circe, nominative plural cearca)

1. chicken, hen

Declension

Declension of cearc

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative cearc cearca Vocative a chearc a chearca Genitive circe cearc Dative cearc circ (archaic, dialectal) cearca

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an chearc na cearca Genitive na circe na gcearc Dative leis an gcearc leis an gcirc (archaic, dialectal) don chearc don chirc (archaic, dialectal) leis na cearca

Derived terms

• circín (diminutive)
• cró cearc (“henhouse”)
• cromán na gcearc (“hen-harrier”)
• gearrchearc (“bantam”)

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
cearc	chearc	gcearc
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “cearc”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 128
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cearc”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “cearc”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “cearc”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish cerc, from Proto-Celtic *kerkā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʲʰɛrˠxk/

Noun

cearc f (dative singular cearc or circ, genitive singular circe, plural cearcan)

1. hen
2. chicken

Derived terms

• cearc-Fhrangach (“turkey-hen”)
• cearc-ghur (“broody”)
• coileach Innseanach (“female guinea fowl”)
• clamhan-nan-cearc (“hen harrier”)

Mutation

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

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “cearc”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “cerc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language