díriuch

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• díriug

Etymology

From Old Irish *riug, from Proto-Celtic *rigus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵ-u-s ~ *h₃r̥ǵ-éw-s (“straight”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-. Sanskrit ऋजुः ~ ऋजोः (ṛjúḥ ~ ṛjóḥ, “straight”) is a precise cognate, both having generalised zero grade in the root. Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós), Latin rēctus, and English right are also related.

Because u-stem adjectives are rare in Old Irish, it is unlikely to have been borrowed from Latin dīrectus, but the addition of the intensive prefix di- could have been influenced by the Latin term of the same meaning.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdʲiːrʲiu̯x/

Adjective

díriuch (comparative dírgu)

1. straight
2. direct
3. straightforward
4. upright

Declension

u-stem

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	díriuch	díriuch	díriuch
vocative	díriuch
accusative	díriuch	dírig
genitive	dírig	dírgae	dírig
dative	díriuch	dírig	díriuch
plural	masculine	feminine/neuter
nominative	dírgai	dírgai
vocative	dírgai
accusative	dírgai
genitive	*
dative	dírgaib

*not attested in Old Irish; same as nominative singular masculine in Middle Irish

Descendants

• Irish: díreach
• Manx: jeeragh
• Scottish Gaelic: dìreach

Mutation

Mutation of díriuch

radical	lenition	nasalization
díriuch	díriuch pronounced with /ð(ʲ)-/	ndíriuch

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

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