seasc

Irish

Alternative forms

• seisc
• seasg, seisg (superseded)

Etymology

From Old Irish sesc, from Proto-Celtic *siskʷos. Cognate with Manx shast and Scottish Gaelic seasg.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃasˠk/

Adjective

seasc (genitive singular masculine seasc, genitive singular feminine seisce, plural seasca, comparative seisce)

1. barren, infertile, sterile (of places and animals, not usually of people)
2. (biology) neuter (having no or imperfectly developed sex organs)

   beach sheasc ― a neuter bee

3. dry (unable to produce liquid)

   tobar seasc agus bó sheasc ― a dry well and a dry cow

4. unproductive, unfruitful
5. (dated) unwed

Declension

Declension of seasc

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	seasc	sheasc	seasca; sheasca²
Vocative	sheasc		seasca
Genitive		seisce	seasca	seasc
Dative	seasc; sheasc¹	sheasc	seasca; sheasca²
Comparative	níos seisce
Superlative	is seisce

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Synonyms

• (barren, infertile, sterile): aimrid, neamhthorthúil
• (neuter): neodrach
• (dry): tirim
• (unproductive, unfruitful): neamhthorthúil
• (unwed): díomhaoin, neamhphósta

Derived terms

• géim bó seisce (“great cry and little wool”, literally “lowing of a dry cow”)
• seascach
• seascachán
• seascacht
• seascra
• seisce

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
seasc	sheasc after an, tseasc	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “seasc”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 632
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “seasc”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN