náire

See also: Naire and nàire

Irish

Alternative forms

• náirí

Etymology

From Old Irish náire, from Proto-Celtic *nāryā. By surface analysis, náir +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈn̪ˠɑːɾʲə/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈn̪ˠaːɾʲə/

Noun

náire f (genitive singular náire)

1. shame

   Synonym: náireacht

   Tá náire orm. ― I am ashamed. (literally, “Shame is on me.”)

   • 1912, Patrick Pearse, Mise Éire:

     Mór mo náire:
     Mo chlann féin a dhíol a máthair.

     Great my shame:
     My own children who sold their mother.

Declension

Declension of náire

Fourth declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative náire Vocative a náire Genitive náire Dative náire

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an náire Genitive na náire Dative leis an náire don náire

Derived terms

• díth náire (“shamelessness”)
• mínáire (“shamelessness”)
• náireach (“shameful”)
• náirigh (“to shame”)
• náiriúil (“shameful”)
• neamhnáire (“shamelessness”)

 

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “náire”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “náire”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “náire”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *nāryā.. By surface analysis, *nár (first attested in Middle Irish) + -e. See the etymology of modern Irish náir for more.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈn͈aːrʲe]

Noun

náire f

1. shamefacedness, bashfulness, diffidence, backwardness, reluctance
2. shame, humiliation
3. modesty, sense of decorum, nobility of behaviour, generosity

Inflection

Feminine iā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	náireL	—	—
Vocative	náireL	—	—
Accusative	náiriN	—	—
Genitive	náire	—	—
Dative	náiriL	—	—
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: náire
• Manx: nearey
• Scottish Gaelic: nàire
• ⇒ Middle Irish: innáire

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
náire also nnáire after a proclitic ending in a vowel	náire pronounced with /n(ʲ)-/	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “náire”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language