See also: gra and grå

English edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Irish grá.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

grá (uncountable)

  1. (Ireland) Love, affection.
    • 2023 August 5, Lauren Murphy, quoting Graham Sweeney, “Sounds of Achill”, in Irish Independent Magazine, page 11:
      He admits that, as a project, “it's a bit niche, but I think anybody who's been here develops a massive grá for Achill. []

Icelandic edit

Etymology edit

See grár.

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

grá

  1. feminine nominative singular positive degree of grár

Irish edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Old Irish grád, from Proto-Celtic *gʷrātus.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

grá m (genitive singular as substantive grá, genitive as verbal noun gráite)

  1. love
    grá agam ort.I love you.
  2. beloved person
    Tá mo ghrá caillte.My beloved is gone.
  3. term of endearment
    Cur glaoch orm, a ghrá.Call me, my love.
  4. charity, beneficence
  5. verbal noun of gráigh

Declension edit

As substantive
As verbal noun

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • Scots: gra

Mutation edit

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
grá ghrá ngrá
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References edit

  1. ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 57
  2. ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 58

Further reading edit

Old Norse edit

Adjective edit

grá

  1. inflection of grár:
    1. positive degree strong feminine nominative/accusative singular
    2. positive degree strong neuter dative singular
    3. positive degree strong masculine accusative plural
    4. positive degree strong neuter nominative/accusative plural
    5. positive degree weak masculine oblique singular
    6. positive degree weak feminine/neuter singular
    7. positive degree weak nominative/accusative/genitive plural