áel

See also: ael, äl, and æl

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish áel, perhaps from the same source as Proto-Germanic *ēlō (“awl”). See also Sanskrit आरा (ārā, “shoemaker's knife”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɯːl/

Noun

áel m

1. trident
2. meatfork, flesh-fork
   • c. 1000, Anonymous, published in (1935) Rudolf Thurneysen, editor, Scéla Mucca Meic Dathó (in Middle Irish), Dublin: Staionery Office, § 1, l. 13, page 2: “In fer no·t⟨h⟩ēged iarsint ṡligi do·bered in n-aēl isin coiri, ocus a·taibred din chētgabāil, iss ed no·ithed. ― Each man who came along the passage would put the flesh-fork into the cauldron, and whatever he got at the first taking, it was that which he ate. (literally, “The man who…”)”

Descendants

• Irish: adhal
• Manx: aall
• Scottish Gaelic: adhal

Mutation

Middle Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
áel	unchanged	n-áel
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), “2 áel”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Irish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈail/

Noun

áel m

1. (geology, chemistry) lime, chalk

Inflection

Masculine o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	áel	áelL	aílL
Vocative	aíl	áelL	áeluH
Accusative	áelN	áelL	áeluH
Genitive	aílL	áel	áelN
Dative	áelL	áelaib	áelaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Middle Irish: áel
  • Irish: aol
  • Manx: eayl
  • Scottish Gaelic: aol

Etymology 2

Matasović reconstructs a Proto-Celtic *ausetlom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- (“to scoop”), but he does not explain how this word fails to leave any trace of au- or ó, the normal reflexes of Proto-Celtic *au- in Old Irish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.əl/

Noun

áel n

1. meat fork

Inflection

Neuter o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	áelN	áelN	áelL, áela
Vocative	áelN	áelN	áelL, áela
Accusative	áelN	áelN	áelL, áela
Genitive	aïlL	áel	áelN
Dative	aíulL	áelaib	áelaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Middle Irish: áel
  • Irish: adhal
  • Manx: aall
  • Scottish Gaelic: adhal

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
áel	unchanged	n-áel
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), “2 áel”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language