leithleach

Irish

Alternative forms

leithileach, leithleachasach, leithleachasúil, leithleasach, leithleastach, leithliseach, leithreach, leithreachaiseach, leithreachasach^[1]

Etymology

As an adjective, apparently a back-formation from leithleachas (“separation”), from a noun *leithleach attested only in the dative in Classical Gaelic ag leithligh, do leithligh and modern Irish ar leithligh (“apart, aside”), from leath (“side”).^[2]

Adjective

leithleach (genitive singular masculine leithligh, genitive singular feminine leithlí, plural leithleacha, comparative leithlí)

selfish, egocentric, egotistical
(law) several (capable of being treated separately)
i gcomhpháirt agus go leithleach ― jointly and severally
peculiar (not shared or possessed by others)
distinct (different from one another), apart
standoffish

Declension

Declension of leithleach

Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Nominative	leithleach	leithleach	leithleacha
Vocative	leithligh	leithleach	leithleacha
Genitive	leithligh	leithlí	leithleacha	leithleach
Dative	leithleach	leithleach; leithligh (archaic)	leithleacha
Comparative	níos leithlí
Superlative	is leithlí

Synonyms

(selfish, egocentric): féineach, féinlárnach, féinspéiseach
(distinct): éagsúil, difriúil
(peculiar): ar leith
(standoffish): coimhthíoch

References

^ “leithleach”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “leithlig”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language