áith

See also: aith-

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /ɑː(h)/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ãːç/, [ãːi̯ç]

Etymology 1

From Old Irish áith f (“drying-kiln (for grain)”), from Proto-Celtic *ātis, from the same root as *h₂eh₁ter- (“fire”) (compare Latin āter).

Noun

áith f (genitive singular áithe, nominative plural áitheanna or áithí)

1. kiln
   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 14:

     ńīl ēn ā sn̥ ilān šə, ax tā mōrān akəb ə gonəmárə.

     [Níl aon áith san oileán seo, ach tá mórán acu i gConamara.]

     There’s no kiln on this island, but there are a lot of them in Connemara.

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 14:

     tā n ā ʒā l̄oskə.

     [Tá an áith dhá loscadh.]

     The kiln is burning.

Declension

Declension of áith (second declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative áith áitheanna vocative a áith a áitheanna genitive áithe áitheanna dative áith áitheanna forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an áith na háitheanna genitive na háithe na n-áitheanna dative leis an áith don áith leis na háitheanna

Derived terms

• áith allais f (“sweat-house”)
• áith aoil f (“lime-kiln”)
• áith choirce f (“corn-kiln”)
• áitheadóir m (“kiln worker”)

Etymology 2

From Old Irish áith (“sharp, keen, acute”).

Adjective

áith

1. (literary) sharp, keen

Declension

Declension of áith

Positive	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	áith	áith	áithe
vocative	áith		áithe
genitive		áithe	áithe	áith
dative	áith	áith	áithe
Comparative	níos áithe
Superlative	is áithe

Mutation

Mutated forms of áith

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
áith	n-áith	háith	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “áiṫ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 20
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “áith”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old Irish

FWOTD – 7 April 2024

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaːθʲ/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *atti-, ultimately from the root of aiteann (“gorse”).

Adjective

áith (equative áthithir, comparative áithiu, superlative áithem)

1. sharp
   • 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. 72^b8

     amal in scrissid .i. amal in n-altain n-áith [translating rasorium acutum].

     Like the scraper, i.e. like the sharp razor.

Inflection

i-stem

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	áith	áith	áith
vocative	áith
accusative	áith	áith
genitive	áith	áithe	áith
dative	áith	áith	áith
plural	masculine	feminine/neuter
nominative	áithi	áithi
vocative	áithi
accusative	áithi
genitive	áith* áithe
dative	áithib

*not when substantivized

Descendants

• Middle Irish: áith
  • Irish: áith

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *ātis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eh₁-.

Noun

áith f (genitive átho)

1. drying-kiln for grains

Inflection

Feminine i-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	áith	áithL	áthaiH
vocative	áith	áithL	áthaiH
accusative	áithN	áithL	áthaiH
genitive	áthoH, áthaH	áthoH, áthaH	áthaeN
dative	áithL	áthaib	áthaib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Middle Irish: áith
  • Irish: áith
  • Scottish Gaelic: àth
  • Manx: aiee

Mutation

Mutation of áith

radical	lenition	nasalization
áith (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	áith	n-áith

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 áith (sharp)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 áith (kiln)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Rohingya

Numeral

áith

1. sixty