cuach

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kuəx/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish caí, cúach (“cuckoo”), caí (“act of weeping; wailing, lamentation”).

Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaiche, nominative plural cuacha)

1. cuckoo
2. (music, ~ (cheoil)) strain of music; snatch of song
3. alto, falsetto (voice); whoop; (of horse) whinny; whine; sigh, sob

Declension

Declension of cuach

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative cuach cuacha Vocative a chuach a chuacha Genitive cuaiche cuach Dative cuach cuaich (archaic, dialectal) cuacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an chuach na cuacha Genitive na cuaiche na gcuach Dative leis an gcuach leis an gcuaich (archaic, dialectal) don chuach don chuaich (archaic, dialectal) leis na cuacha

Derived terms

• banaltra na cuaiche, coimhdire na cuaiche (“meadow pipit”)
• clog cuaiche (“cuckoo clock”)
• gobadán na cuaiche (“bird that follows the cuckoo; pipit”)
• smugairle cuaiche (“toad-spit”)

 

Etymology 2

From Old Irish cuäch, cúach (“cup, goblet, bowl”), from Proto-Celtic *kaɸukos (“cup”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, hold”).

Noun

cuach m (genitive singular cuach, nominative plural cuacha)

1. bowl; goblet, drinking-cup
2. dome (of head)

Declension

Declension of cuach

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative cuach cuacha Vocative a chuach a chuacha Genitive cuach cuach Dative cuach cuacha

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an cuach na cuacha Genitive an chuach na gcuach Dative leis an gcuach don chuach leis na cuacha

Derived terms

• cuach abhlann, cuach altóra (“ciborium”)
• cuach coirn (“auger-shell”)
• cuach Phádraig (“plantain”)

 

Etymology 3

From Old Irish cúach (“fastener, hook, buckle for cloak, hair, etc.; lock of hair, tress; hair”), from the root of sense 2.

Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaiche, nominative plural cuacha)

1. (of clothes, etc.) ball, bundle
2. (of ribbons, etc.) bowknot
3. (of hair) roll; tress, curl
4. (of thatch) tuft, "latch"
5. hug, embrace

Declension

Declension of cuach

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative cuach cuacha Vocative a chuach a chuacha Genitive cuaiche cuach Dative cuach cuaich (archaic, dialectal) cuacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an chuach na cuacha Genitive na cuaiche na gcuach Dative leis an gcuach leis an gcuaich (archaic, dialectal) don chuach don chuaich (archaic, dialectal) leis na cuacha

Derived terms

• cuachmhargadh (“package deal”)

Verb

cuach (present analytic cuachann, future analytic cuachfaidh, verbal noun cuachadh, past participle cuachta)

1. (transitive) bundle; roll, wrap
2. (transitive) hug; squeeze
3. (transitive) flatter, praise

Conjugation

conjugation of cuach (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	cuachaim	cuachann tú; cuachair†	cuachann sé, sí	cuachaimid	cuachann sibh	cuachann siad; cuachaid†	a chuachann; a chuachas / a gcuachann*; a gcuachas*	cuachtar
	past	chuach mé; chuachas	chuach tú; chuachais	chuach sé, sí	chuachamar; chuach muid	chuach sibh; chuachabhair	chuach siad; chuachadar	a chuach / ar chuach*	cuachadh
	past habitual	chuachainn / gcuachainn‡‡	chuachtá / gcuachtᇇ	chuachadh sé, sí / gcuachadh sé, s퇇	chuachaimis; chuachadh muid / gcuachaimis‡‡; gcuachadh muid‡‡	chuachadh sibh / gcuachadh sibh‡‡	chuachaidís; chuachadh siad / gcuachaidís‡‡; gcuachadh siad‡‡	a chuachadh / a gcuachadh*	chuachtaí / gcuachta퇇
future		cuachfaidh mé; cuachfad	cuachfaidh tú; cuachfair†	cuachfaidh sé, sí	cuachfaimid; cuachfaidh muid	cuachfaidh sibh	cuachfaidh siad; cuachfaid†	a chuachfaidh; a chuachfas / a gcuachfaidh*; a gcuachfas*	cuachfar
conditional		chuachfainn / gcuachfainn‡‡	chuachfá / gcuachfᇇ	chuachfadh sé, sí / gcuachfadh sé, s퇇	chuachfaimis; chuachfadh muid / gcuachfaimis‡‡; gcuachfadh muid‡‡	chuachfadh sibh / gcuachfadh sibh‡‡	chuachfaidís; chuachfadh siad / gcuachfaidís‡‡; gcuachfadh siad‡‡	a chuachfadh / a gcuachfadh*	chuachfaí / gcuachfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go gcuacha mé; go gcuachad†	go gcuacha tú; go gcuachair†	go gcuacha sé, sí	go gcuachaimid; go gcuacha muid	go gcuacha sibh	go gcuacha siad; go gcuachaid†	—	go gcuachtar
	past	dá gcuachainn	dá gcuachtá	dá gcuachadh sé, sí	dá gcuachaimis; dá gcuachadh muid	dá gcuachadh sibh	dá gcuachaidís; dá gcuachadh siad	—	dá gcuachtaí
imperative		cuachaim	cuach	cuachadh sé, sí	cuachaimis	cuachaigí; cuachaidh†	cuachaidís	—	cuachtar
verbal noun		cuachadh
past participle		cuachta

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Etymology 4

Noun

cuach m (genitive singular cuaigh, nominative plural cuaigh)

1. Alternative form of cuaifeach

Declension

Declension of cuach

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative cuach cuaigh Vocative a chuaigh a chuacha Genitive cuaigh cuach Dative cuach cuaigh

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an cuach na cuaigh Genitive an chuaigh na gcuach Dative leis an gcuach don chuach leis na cuaigh

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
cuach	chuach	gcuach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cuach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “cuäch”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 cúach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 caí”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cúach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “cuach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “cuach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

---

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

From Old Irish cuäch, cúach (“cup, goblet, bowl”), from Proto-Celtic *kaɸukos (“cup”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, hold”).

Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaich, plural cuachan)

1. bowl

   Synonym: bobhla

2. goblet, quaich

Etymology 2

From Old Irish cúach (“fastener, hook, buckle for cloak, hair, etc.; lock of hair, tress; hair”), from the root of sense 1.

Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaich, plural cuachan)

1. curl, ringlet

Etymology 3

From Old Irish caí, cúach (“cuckoo”), caí (“act of weeping; wailing, lamentation”).

Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaich, plural cuachan)

1. cuckoo

   Synonym: cuthag

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
cuach	chuach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

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