cáech

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *kaikos, from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ikos (“one-eyed, blind”). Cognate with Welsh coeg and more distantly Latin caecus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaːi̯x/

Adjective

cáech

1. blind in one eye
2. (by extension, of seed, nuts, etc.) empty

Inflection

o/ā-stem
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	cáech	cáech	cáech
Vocative	caích* cáech**
Accusative	cáech	caích
Genitive	caích	caíche	caích
Dative	cáech	caích	cáech
Plural	Masculine	Feminine/neuter
Nominative	caích	cáecha
Vocative	cáechu cáecha†
Accusative	cáechu cáecha†
Genitive	cáech
Dative	cáechaib
Notes	*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized

Noun

cáech m

1. person blind in one eye

Inflection

Masculine o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	cáech	cáechL	caíchL
Vocative	caích	cáechL	cáechuH
Accusative	cáechN	cáechL	cáechuH
Genitive	caíchL	cáech	cáechN
Dative	cáechL	cáechaib	cáechaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

• (of an eye) cáechaid (“blinds”, verb)
• cáechán m (“one-eyed person, blind creature”)

Descendants

• Irish: caoch
• Manx: kyagh
• Scottish Gaelic: caoch

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
cáech	cháech	cáech pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
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), “cáech”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language