geal

English

Etymology

From Middle English gelen, from Old French geler, from Latin gelāre, from gelu. See gelid.

Verb

geal (third-person singular simple present geals, present participle gealing, simple past and past participle gealed)

1. (obsolete or Scotland) to congeal

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for “geal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.)

Anagrams

• Gael, Gale, Lega, egal, gale, lage, leag

---

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish gel, from Proto-Celtic *gelos, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“to shine”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɟal̪ˠ/
• IPA^(key): /ɟalˠ/

Noun

geal m (genitive singular gil)

1. white, bright(ness)

Declension

Declension of geal

First declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative geal Vocative a ghil Genitive gil Dative geal

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Nominative an geal Genitive an ghil Dative leis an ngeal don gheal

Adjective

geal (genitive singular masculine gil, genitive singular feminine gile, plural geala, comparative gile)

1. white

   Tá a craiceann chomh geal le sneachta.

   Her skin is as white as snow.

   • 1894 March, Peadar Mac Fionnlaoigh, “An rí nach robh le fagháil bháis”, in Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, volume 1:5, Dublin: Gaelic Union, pages 185–88:

     Tháinic sé colmáin gheala isteach ar an dorus, ⁊ shuidh siad ar philéir go robh an tAifrionn thart, ⁊ annsin chuaidh siad amach ar ais.

     Six white doves came into the door, and they sat upon a pillar till Mass was over, and then they went back out.

   Synonym: bán

2. bright
   • 2015 [2014], Will Collins, translated by Proinsias Mac a' Bhaird, edited by Maura McHugh, Amhrán na Mara (fiction; paperback), Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Howth, Dublin: Cartoon Saloon; Coiscéim, translation of Song of the Sea (in English), →ISBN, page 1:

     Thuas i dteach an tsolais, faoi réaltaí geala, canann Bronach Amhrán na Mara dá mac Ben atá cúig bliana d'aois.

     [original: Up in the lighthouse, under bright stars, Bronach sings the Song of the Sea to her five-year-old son, Ben.]

3. clear
4. (literary) fallow
5. (figuratively) bright, pure; glad, happy; dear, beloved, fond

Declension

Declension of geal

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	geal	gheal	geala; gheala²
Vocative	ghil		geala
Genitive		geale	geala	geal
Dative	geal; gheal¹	gheal; ghil (archaic)	geala; gheala²
Comparative	níos geale
Superlative	is geale

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Derived terms

• aongheal
• bonn geal
• ceanngheal
• fíon geal
• geal-liath
• gealacán
• gealach
• gealán
• gile
• plúr geal
• tae geal

 

Verb

geal (present analytic gealann, future analytic gealfaidh, verbal noun gealadh, past participle gealta)

1. (transitive, intransitive) to whiten, brighten; clear

   Gheal an spéir. ― The sky cleared.

2. (transitive, intransitive, figurative) to make, become, glad, happy, fond

Conjugation

conjugation of geal (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	gealaim	gealann tú; gealair†	gealann sé, sí	gealaimid	gealann sibh	gealann siad; gealaid†	a ghealann; a ghealas / a ngealann*; a ngealas*	gealtar
	past	gheal mé; ghealas	gheal tú; ghealais	gheal sé, sí	ghealamar; gheal muid	gheal sibh; ghealabhair	gheal siad; ghealadar	a gheal / ar gheal*	gealadh
	past habitual	ghealainn / ngealainn‡‡	ghealtá / ngealtᇇ	ghealadh sé, sí / ngealadh sé, s퇇	ghealaimis; ghealadh muid / ngealaimis‡‡; ngealadh muid‡‡	ghealadh sibh / ngealadh sibh‡‡	ghealaidís; ghealadh siad / ngealaidís‡‡; ngealadh siad‡‡	a ghealadh / a ngealadh*	ghealtaí / ngealta퇇
future		gealfaidh mé; gealfad	gealfaidh tú; gealfair†	gealfaidh sé, sí	gealfaimid; gealfaidh muid	gealfaidh sibh	gealfaidh siad; gealfaid†	a ghealfaidh; a ghealfas / a ngealfaidh*; a ngealfas*	gealfar
conditional		ghealfainn / ngealfainn‡‡	ghealfá / ngealfᇇ	ghealfadh sé, sí / ngealfadh sé, s퇇	ghealfaimis; ghealfadh muid / ngealfaimis‡‡; ngealfadh muid‡‡	ghealfadh sibh / ngealfadh sibh‡‡	ghealfaidís; ghealfadh siad / ngealfaidís‡‡; ngealfadh siad‡‡	a ghealfadh / a ngealfadh*	ghealfaí / ngealfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go ngeala mé; go ngealad†	go ngeala tú; go ngealair†	go ngeala sé, sí	go ngealaimid; go ngeala muid	go ngeala sibh	go ngeala siad; go ngealaid†	—	go ngealtar
	past	dá ngealainn	dá ngealtá	dá ngealadh sé, sí	dá ngealaimis; dá ngealadh muid	dá ngealadh sibh	dá ngealaidís; dá ngealadh siad	—	dá ngealtaí
imperative		gealaim	geal	gealadh sé, sí	gealaimis	gealaigí; gealaidh†	gealaidís	—	gealtar
verbal noun		gealadh
past participle		gealta

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

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
geal	gheal	ngeal
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “geal”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 gel”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 24

---

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish gel, from Proto-Celtic *gelos, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“to shine”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʲaɫ̪/

Adjective

geal (comparative gile)

1. white, bright, pale

   Ma 's e 'n t-iasg do choinnlean geala, ma 's e na ròin do luchd-faire...

   If the fish are thy candles bright, if the seals are thy watchmen...

Declension

Declension of geal (type I adjective)

	Masculine	Feminine	Plural
Nominative	geal	gheal	geala
Genitive	ghil	gile	geala
Dative	geal	ghil	geala
Vocative	ghil	gheal	geala

Derived terms

• brù-gheal
• curran geal
• fìon geal
• gealachd
• marag gheal

 

Mutation

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

See also

• bàn

Colors in Scottish Gaelic · dathan (layout · text)

bàn, geal	glas	dubh
dearg; ruadh	orains; donn	buidhe; donn
uaine	uaine	gorm
liath; glas	liath	gorm
purpaidh; guirmean	pinc; purpaidh	pinc

References

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