bairgen

Old Irish

Etymology

Matasović reconstructs a Proto-Celtic *baragenā, and relates the word with Welsh bara (“bread”). However, this is phonologically difficult, since syncope of the -a- in the former second syllable should have depalatalized the resulting -rg- cluster in the middle of the word.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbarʲ.ɣʲən/

Noun

bairgen f (genitive bairgine, nominative plural bairgena)

1. bread
   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 9^b13

     .i. amal ar·rograd descad fo bairgin i sollumun agni, síc ni coir descad pectho do buith i sollummun agni.

     As leavening agents in bread were forbidden at Passover, likewise it is not proper for the leavening agents of sin to be at Passover, namely of Christ.

   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 20^d2

     .i. is ed trede insin as toisechem do duiniu .i. bairgen rl.

     Those are the three things [i.e. wine, bread and oil] that are foremost to man, namely bread, etc.

   • c. 845, St Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 184^b3

     Fer dénma bairgine. Tuarcain do·fuaircitis inna grán la arsidi resiu ar·ista brao.

     A man who makes bread. [It was by] pounding that grains used to be crushed by the ancients before the quern could be invented. (as an explanation for Latin pistor (“miller, baker”))

2. loaf of bread
   • c. 815-840, “The Monastery of Tallaght”, in Edward J. Gwynn, Walter J. Purton, transl., Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, volume 29, Royal Irish Academy, published 1911-1912, paragraph 68, pages 115-179:

     Trí troisciud immurco tantum la Colum Cilli in ando .i. aidchi Notlacc Steill .i. post .xii. nataleis & ochtmad (i)mbairgine Coluim Cilli i suidiu & seilind & bochtan ais maith, [...]

     However, Colum Cille recognized three fasts only in the year: the eve of Epiphany — that is, twelve days after Christmas, and the eighth part of Colum Cille’s loaf at that time, with a seland and a bochtan of good milk...

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	bairgenL	bairginL	bairgenaH
Vocative	bairgenL	bairginL	bairgenaH
Accusative	bairginN	bairginL	bairgenaH
Genitive	bairgineH	bairgenL	bairgenN
Dative	bairginL	bairgenaib	bairgenaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: bairín

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
bairgen	bairgen pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/	mbairgen
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), chapter 5232, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language