-áil

See also: ail, ail-, -ail, àil, áil, and Äil

Irish

Alternative forms

• -áilt

Etymology

Extracted from gabháil and fáil (earlier faghbháil).

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /aːlʲ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ælʲ/; /æl̠ʲtʲ/ (corresponding to the form -áilt)

Suffix

-áil f

1. suffix used to form verbal nouns

   fáil, formerly spelled fagháil, verbal noun of faigh (“to get”)

   gabháil, verbal noun of gabh (“to take”)

Declension

Declension of -áil

Third declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative -áil -álacha Vocative a -áil a -álacha Genitive -ála -álacha Dative -áil -álacha

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an -áil na -álacha Genitive na -ála na -álacha Dative leis an -áil don -áil leis na -álacha

Suffix

-áil

1. suffix used productively to form denominative verbs and their associated verbal nouns

   ‎iarann (“iron”) + ‎-áil → ‎iarnáil (“to iron”)

   ‎spág (“a big, clumsy foot”) + ‎-áil → ‎spágáil (“to shamble, trudge”)

Usage notes

This suffix is particularly common with English loanwords. The Irish-language poet Cathal Ó Searcaigh in his poem "Cainteoir Dúchais" (published 1997 in the collection Out in the Open) uses the following verbs, most of them probably nonce words:

• hoovereáil (“to hoover”)
• jeyes-fluideáil (“to disinfect with Jeyes Fluid”)
• harpickeáil (“to clean with Harpic”)
• vimeáil (“to clean with Vim”)
• flasháil (“to clean with Flash”)
• windoleneáil (“to clean with Windolene”)
• eau-de-cologneáil (“to apply eau de Cologne to”)
• shagáilte (“shagged out”)
• cruiseáil (“to cruise”)

Derived terms

Irish terms suffixed with -áil