beag

English

Etymology

From Old English bēag (“a ring, bracelet, collar, garland, crown, necklace, a shackle for the neck, a circle, coil”), from Proto-Germanic *baugaz (“ring, bow”), from Proto-Indo-European *bheugh-, *bheug- (“to bend”). Cognate with German dialectal Baug (“ring, collar”), Icelandic baugur (“ring, circle”). Related to bagel.

Noun

beag (plural beags)

1. (historical) A ring.
   • 1878, Royal Numismatic Society (Great Britain), The Numismatic chronicle and journal of the Numismatic Society:

     It was a mark of nobility among the German races — by some considered the origin of our coronets — and had even about it a quasi-religious character in memory of the "holy beag" (holy ring), the oath upon which was tantamount to the oath upon Thorr's hammer.

   • 1970, William A. Chaney, The cult of kingship in Anglo-Saxon England:

     [...] and the description of that monarch in his anonymous Vita as coronatus lauro probably indicates a beag which was lighter than the formal diadema.

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Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish bec, cognate with Breton bic'han and Welsh bach and bychan.

Pronunciation

• (Aran) IPA: [bʲɞɡ]

Adjective

beag (genitive singular masculine big, genitive singular feminine bige, nominative plural beaga, comparative lú)

1. small, little
2. few (often with a singular noun in Irish)

   Is beag áit is deise. — There are few places that are nicer.

   le blianta beaga anuas — for the past few years

Declension

Declension of beag

First Declension

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	masc.	fem.	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	beag		beaga
Vocative	big	beag	beaga
Genitive	big	bige	beaga	beag
Dative	beag		beaga
Comparative	lú

Derived terms

• beagán

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
beag	bheag	mbeag
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *baugaz (“ring”), from the stem of Proto-Germanic *beuganą (“to bend”) (from which būgan). Cognate with Old Norse baugr and Old High German bouc.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bæːaɡ/

Noun

bēag m

1. a ring or bracelet

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Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish bec, cognate with Breton bic'han and Welsh bach and bychan.

Pronunciation

• IPA: [b̊eɡ̊]

Adjective

beag (comparative bige or lugha)

1. small, little, short, diminutive

   duine beag - a small man

   ùine bheag - a short time

2. disagreeable

   Is beag orm thu. - I hate you. (literally, You are disagreeable to me.)

3. light, trifling, insignificant

   Is beag seo. - This is a trifling thing.

4. young

   na sionnaich bheaga - the young foxes

5. sordid, miserly, niggardly

   Is beag sin de Ghàidhlig. - That is a poor sort of Gaelic.

   Tha e fìor bheag 'n a nàdar. - He has a very niggardly disposition.

Declension

Case	Masculine singular	Feminine singular	Plural
Nominative	beag	bheag	beaga
Vocative	bhig	bheag	beaga
Genitive	bhig	bige	beaga
Dative	beag	bhig	beaga

Synonyms

• mean
• meanbh
• mion

Derived terms

• beag air bheag - bit by bit
• beagan - a little, a few
• beag-sgèile - small-scale
• beith bheag - dwarf birch
• comhachag-bheag - little owl
• guilbneach-beag - whimbrel

References

• The Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary (Birlinn Limited, 1901-1911, Compiled by Edward Dwelly)
• A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language (John Grant, Edinburgh, 1925, Compiled by Malcolm MacLennan)