ubh

Irish

Alternative forms

• uibh (Ulster)

Etymology

From Old Irish og, from Proto-Celtic *āuyom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ōwyóm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uː/, /uvˠ/
• IPA^(key): /ɔvˠ/
• IPA^(key): /ɨ̞vʲ/, /ɨ̞fʲ/ (corresponding to the form uibh)

Noun

ubh f (genitive singular uibhe, nominative plural uibheacha) or
ubh m (genitive singular uibh, nominative plural uibhe)

1. (biology, zoology) egg

Usage notes

This word is normally feminine and follows the second declension, as shown in the first table below. The archaic masculine declension shown in the second table below is used especially in place names (e.g., Gort na nUbh (Gortnanuv), Co. Limerick, Munster).

Declension

Declension of ubh

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative ubh uibheacha Vocative a ubh a uibheacha Genitive uibhe uibheacha Dative ubh uibh (archaic, dialectal) uibheacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an ubh na huibheacha Genitive na huibhe na n-uibheacha Dative leis an ubh leis an uibh (archaic, dialectal) don ubh don uibh (archaic, dialectal) leis na huibheacha

Archaic masculine declension

Declension of ubh

Irregular

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative ubh uibhe Vocative a ubh a uibhe Genitive uibh ubh Dative ubh uibhe

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an t-ubh na huibhe Genitive an uibh na n-ubh Dative leis an ubh don ubh leis na huibhe

Derived terms

• blaosc uibhe f (“eggshell”)
• gealacán uibhe m (“egg white, albumen”)
• ubh Chásca (Easter egg)
• ubh-bheobhreitheach (“ovoviviparous”, adjective)
• ubh-bhreitheach (“oviparous”, adjective)
• ubhach (“oval”, adjective)
• ubhaducht m (“oviduct”)
• ubhagán m (“ovary”)
• ubhán m (“ovum”)
• ubhchruth m (“oval”)
• ubhchruthach (“egg-shaped, oval”, adjective)
• ubhchupán m (“egg-cup”)
• ubhlonnaitheoir m (“ovipositor”)
• ubhsceith (“ovulate”, verb)
• ubhsceitheadh m (“ovulation”)
• ubhthoradh m (“eggplant”)
• uibheagán m (“omelette”)

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
ubh	n-ubh	hubh	t-ubh
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ubh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 207
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 og”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “ubh”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “ubh”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

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Scottish Gaelic

Noun

ubh m (genitive singular uibhe, plural uibhean)

1. Alternative spelling of ugh

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
ubh	n-ubh	h-ubh	t-ubh
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly, The Illustrated Gaelic Dictionary, 1902, p. 989.