faoi

See also: Faoi

Irish

Alternative forms

Etymology

A generalization of the third-person masculine singular inflected form, from Old Irish foí, the third-person masculine singular inflected form of fo (“under”),^[1] from Proto-Celtic *uɸo, from Proto-Indo-European *upo. Compare Ancient Greek ὑπό (hupó), Middle Welsh go. During the Early Modern Irish period, this preposition began to take over the meaning of Old Irish imm (“around, about”) (modern um), which had variant forms ma and lenited fa, bha that were probably conflated with faoi.^[2]^[3] Doublet of ó (“-wards”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /fˠiː/^[4]

Preposition

faoi (plus dative, triggers lenition)

(standard, Connacht, Ulster) under
- 2015 [2014], Will Collins, translated by Proinsias Mac a' Bhaird, edited by Maura McHugh, Amhrán na Mara (fiction; paperback), Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Howth, Dublin: Cartoon Saloon; Coiscéim, translation of Song of the Sea (in English), →ISBN, page 1:
  Thuas i dteach an tsolais, faoi réaltaí geala, canann Bronach Amhrán na Mara dá mac Ben atá cúig bliana d'aois.
  [original: Up in the lighthouse, under twinkling stars, Bronach sings the Song of the Sea to her five-year-old son, Ben.]
(standard, Connacht) about, concerning
around, about
Cuir faoi do choim é.
Put it around your waist.

Chuir mé gad faoi mhuineál an chapaill.
I put a halter around the horse's neck.
times, multiplied by
a trí faoi a hocht ― three times eight

faoi dhó ― twice, two times

Usage notes

The standard Irish and Connacht form faoi and the Munster form fé mean both “under” and “about”. In Ulster, these two meanings are split: faoi means “under”, while fá means “about”.

Inflection

Inflection of faoi

Person	Normal	Emphatic
1st person sing.	fúm	fúmsa
2d person sing.	fút	fútsa
3d sing. masc.	faoi	faoisean
3d sing. fem.	fúithi	fúithise
1st person pl.	fúinn	fúinne
2d person pl.	fúibh	fúibhse
3d person pl.	fúthu	fúthusan

Derived terms

Irish preposition contractions

Basic form	Contracted with							Copular forms
Basic form	an (“the sg”)	na (“the pl”)	mo (“my”)	do (“your”)	a (“his, her, their; which (present)”)	ár (“our”)	ar (“which (past)”)	(before consonant)	(present/future before vowel)	(past/conditional before vowel)
de (“from”)	den	de na desna*	de mo dem*	de do ded, det	dá	dár		dar	darb	darbh
do (“to, for”)	don	do na dosna*	do mo dom*	do do dod, dot	dá	dár		dar	darb	darbh
faoi (“under, about”)	faoin	faoi na	faoi mo	faoi do	faoina	faoinár	faoinar		faoinarb	faoinarbh
i (“in”)	sa, san	sna	i mo im*	i do id, it	ina	inár	inar		inarb	inarbh
le (“with”)	leis an	leis na	le mo lem*	le do led, let	lena	lenár	lenar		lenarb	lenarbh
ó (“from, since”)	ón	ó na ósna*	ó mo óm*	ó do ód, ót	óna	ónár	ónar		ónarb	ónarbh
trí (“through”)	tríd an	trí na	trí mo	trí do	trína	trínár	trínar		trínarb	trínarbh
*Dialectal.

Pronoun

faoi (emphatic faoisean)

third-person singular masculine of faoi

References

^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “fo, fa, fá”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ Damian McManus (1994) chapter IV, in K. McCone, D. McManus, C. Ó Háinle, N. Williams, L. Breatnach, editors, Stair na Gaeilge: in ómós do P[h]ádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish), Maynooth: Roinn na Sean-Ghaeilge, Coláiste Phádraig, →ISBN, (7), page 438: “Is dócha gurb é tionchar an réamhfhocail fa 'faoi' faoi dear na foirmeacha ma, bha, fa de um (TD lxxii).”
^ Eleanor Knott (1922-26) The Bardic poems of Tadhg Dall Ó hUiginn (1550–1591), volume 1, Lúndain, page lxxii
^ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 118