diail

Irish

Alternative forms

• diabhail

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from diabhail (genitive of diabhal (“devil”)), with which it is homophonous in some dialects. Could also be a reduced form of Dia (“God”) +‎ -úil or a reduced and dissimilated form of diabhal +‎ -úil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʲiəlʲ/
• (Munster) Homophone: diabhail

Adjective

diail (genitive singular feminine diaile, plural diaile, comparative diaile)

1. great, very good, first-rate, splendid
2. devilish (extreme, excessive)
3. (adverbial, in go diail) surprisingly, terribly, extremely

Declension

Declension of diail

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	diail	dhiail	diaile; dhiaile²
Vocative	dhiail		diaile
Genitive		diaile	diaile	diail
Dative	diail; dhiail¹	dhiail	diaile; dhiaile²
Comparative	níos diaile
Superlative	is diaile

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

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
diail	dhiail	ndiail
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “diail”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “diail”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN