gabhal

Irish

FWOTD – 16 June 2024

Etymology

From Old Irish gabul (“fork, forked branch”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ɡɑul̪ˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑuəlˠ/, /ˈɡɑuəl̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ɡoːlˠ/, /ɡoːl̪ˠ/

Noun

gabhal m (genitive singular gabhail, nominative plural gabhail)

1. fork (of a road)
2. branch
3. split
4. crotch
   • 1906, E. C. Quiggin, A Dialect of Donegal (overall work in English), § 40, page 18:

     vɛ:r̥ə m′ə kick sə ꬶo:l ꬶyd′, said by boys

     [Bhéarfaidh mé cic sa ghabhal dhuit]

     I’m going to kick you in the crotch.

5. udder, bag (of a cow)
   • 1906, E. C. Quiggin, A Dialect of Donegal (overall work in English), § 40, page 18:

     tα: go:l mαiç bwæN′ə ɛg′ ə wɔ: ʃïn′

     [Tá gabhal maith bainne ag an bhó sin]

     That cow has a good bag of milk.

6. (cycling) bicycle fork
7. (chess) fork

Declension

Declension of gabhal

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative gabhal gabhail Vocative a ghabhail a ghabhala Genitive gabhail gabhal Dative gabhal gabhail

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an gabhal na gabhail Genitive an ghabhail na ngabhal Dative leis an ngabhal don ghabhal leis na gabhail

Derived terms

• gabhlán
• gabhlóg
• i ngabhal a chéile

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
gabhal	ghabhal	ngabhal
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “gabhal”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN