Irish edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle Irish eochair, from Old Irish eochair, from Proto-Celtic *exs-koris, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (turn, curve) (whence Latin curvus).[2] Compare Scottish Gaelic iuchair.

Noun edit

eochair f (genitive singular eochrach, nominative plural eochracha)

  1. key
    An bhfuil eochair an tí agat?Do you have the house key?
  2. (music) key; clef
Declension edit
Derived terms edit

Further reading edit

Etymology 2 edit

From Middle Irish ochair, a specialized use of fochair (nearness, proximity).

Noun edit

eochair f (genitive singular eochrach, nominative plural eochracha)

  1. brim, brink, edge, border
Declension edit

Further reading edit

Etymology 3 edit

From Middle Irish iuchair.

Noun edit

eochair f (genitive singular eochra, nominative plural eochraí)

  1. Alternative form of eochraí (spawn, fish roe)
Declension edit

Further reading edit

Mutation edit

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
eochair n-eochair heochair not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References edit

  1. ^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 90
  2. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 217

Old Irish edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Celtic *exs-koris, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (turn, curve) (whence cor and more distantly Latin curvus).[1]

Noun edit

eochair f

  1. key
    • Old Irish treatise on the Psalter, published in Hibernica Minora, (1894, Oxford: Clarendon Press), edited and with translations by Kuno Meyer, line 216
      Is foa n-indas-sin ro·gab in saltair .i. forgnuis óin-libuir dianechtair ocus ilsailm hi mmedón, fo chosmailius nacha tegdaise adamra co scrínaib ilardaib co n-itsudaib mrechtnaigdib, co n-eochraib saingnustaib do erslocud cach aí. Atá didiu eochair saingnuste ré cach salm .i. a thitul.
      In [that way] is the Psalter, to wit, the form of one book [on the outside], and many psalms within, like some glorious building with many shrines, with various treasure-houses, with special keys to open each one of them. There is however a special key before each psalm, to wit, its title.

Inflection edit

Feminine i-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative eochair eochairL eochraiH
Vocative eochair eochairL eochraiH
Accusative eochairN eochairL eochraiH
Genitive eochroH, eochraH eochroH, eochraH eochraeN
Dative eochairL eochraib eochraib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization
Feminine k-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative eochair eochraigL eochraig
Vocative eochair eochraigL eochracha
Accusative eochraigN eochraigL eochracha
Genitive eochrach eochrach eochrachN
Dative eochraigL eochrachaib eochrachaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization

Descendants edit

  • Middle Irish: eochair, echair

Mutation edit

Old Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Nasalization
eochair unchanged n-eochair
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References edit

  1. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 217

Further reading edit