scoil

Irish

Alternative forms

• sgoil (superseded)

Etymology

From Old Irish scol (compare Scottish Gaelic sgoil), from Latin schola, from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ). The sense “school of fish” is either a borrowing from Middle English scole, schole (in the relevant sense), from Middle Dutch scole (“swarm of animals”), from Proto-Germanic *skulō (“crowd”); or a semantic loan from English school under the mistaken assumption that the “group of fish” sense is etymologically identical to the “educational institution” sense.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˠkɔlʲ/
• (Munster) IPA^(key): /sˠkɞlʲ/

Noun

scoil f (genitive singular scoile, nominative plural scoileanna or scolta)

1. school (educational institution)
2. (literary) school (followers of a particular doctrine)
3. (deliberative) assembly, body
4. shoal, school (of fish)

   Synonyms: báire, ráth

Declension

Declension of scoil

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative scoil scoileanna Vocative a scoil a scoileanna Genitive scoile scoileanna Dative scoil scoileanna

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an scoil na scoileanna Genitive na scoile na scoileanna Dative leis an scoil don scoil leis na scoileanna

• Alternative plurals: scolta, scoileacha

Derived terms

• ardscoil (“high school,”)
• buachaill scoile (“schoolboy”)
• bunscoil (“primary school”)
• cailín scoile (“schoolgirl”)
• ceolscoil (“music school”)
• daonscoil (“folk school”)
• gairmscoil (“vocational school”)
• leabhar scoile (“school-book”)
• máistreás scoile f (“schoolmistress”)
• mála scoile (“school-bag”)
• meánscoil (“secondary school”)
• múinteoir scoile (“school-teacher”)
• naíscoil (“(Irish-language) nursery school”)
• ollscoil (“university”)
• páiste scoile (“school-child”)
• pobalscoil (“community school”)
• scoil cheartúcháin (“reformatory”)
• scoil cheoil (“music school”)
• scoil chois claí
• scoil chónaithe (“boarding school”)
• scoil chuimsitheach (“comprehensive school”)
• scoil Domhnaigh (“Sunday school”)
• scoil ghairid
• scoil ghearr (“hedge-school”)
• scoil ghramadaí (“grammar school”)
• scoil lae (“day-school”)
• scoil naíonán (“infant school”)
• scoil oíche (“night-school”)
• scoil saothair (“industrial school”)
• scoil scairte
• scoilcheantar (“school (catchment) area”)

 

Further reading

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