ach

See also: ACH, aćh, -ach, and ách

Translingual

Symbol

ach

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Acholi.

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English

Etymology 1

From Middle English ache, from Old French ache, from Latin apium (“parsley”).

Alternative forms

• ache

Noun

ach (plural achs)

1. (obsolete) Any of several species of plants, such as smallage, wild celery, parsley.

Derived terms

• lovage
• smallage

Etymology 2

Interjection

ach

1. An expression of annoyance.
   • 1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972:

     "Ach." Auntie frowned hugely. "That is all nonsense."

Etymology 3

Interjection

ach

1. Alternative form of och

Anagrams

• -cha, CAH, CHA, Cha, HAC, HCA, cah, cha

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Central Franconian

Alternative forms

• aacht (Moselle Franconian)
• aach (Ripuarian)

Etymology

From Middle High German ahte, from Old High German ahto, from Proto-West Germanic *ahtō, from Proto-Germanic *ahtōu, from Proto-Indo-European *oḱtṓw.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑx/

Numeral

ach

1. (Limburgan Ripuarian) eight (numerical value represented by the Arabic numeral 8; or describing a set with eight elements)

Derived terms

• Ach
• achmoal

Related terms

• achtsieg
• achtsing

Further reading

• “ach” in d'r nuie Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer 2nd ed., 2017.

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Chuukese

Determiner

ach

1. First-person plural inclusive general possessive; our (inclusive)

Related terms

Chuukese possessive determiners

		Small objects, concepts	Large objects, living things	Suffix
Singular	First person	ai	nei	-ei
	Second person	omw, om	noum	-om
	Third person	an	noun	-an
Plural	First person	äm (exclusive) ach (inclusive)	nöu̇m (exclusive) nöüch (inclusive)	-em (exclusive) -ach (inclusive)
	Second person	ämi, ami	noumi	-emi
	Third person	ar	nour	-er

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Cimbrian

Alternative forms

• òich (plural you only)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

ach

1. (Sette Comuni) accusative of iart: you (plural; polite singular)

See also

Cimbrian personal pronouns

		nominative	accusative	dative
1st person singular		ich	mich	miar
2nd person singular	familiar	du	dich	diar
	polite	iart	ach	òich
3rd person singular	m	èar, ar	in, en	iime
	f	zi, ze		iar
	n	es, is	es, 's	iime
1st person plural		bar, bandare	zich	izàndarn
2nd person plural		iart, iartàndare, artàndare	òich, ach	ogàndarn
3rd person plural		ze, zòi, zandare	zich	innàndarn

References

• “ach” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑx/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ach
• Rhymes: -ɑx

Interjection

ach

1. oh, expresses compassion, surprise and dismay

Descendants

• Afrikaans: ag
• → Papiamentu: ag

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Esperanto

Interjection

ach

1. H-system spelling of aĉ

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German

Etymology

From Middle High German ach, from Old High German ah.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ax/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ax

Interjection

ach

1. oh, alas (expressing surprise, sorrow, or understanding)
   • 1808, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “Vor dem Thor”, in Faust: Der Tragödie erster Teil [Faust, Part One]‎^[1]; republished as Bayard Taylor, transl.,1870:

     Zwey Seelen wohnen, ach! in meiner Brust, / Die eine will sich von der andern trennen;

     Two souls, alas! reside within my breast, / And each withdraws from, and repels, its brother.

2. oh (preceding an offhand or annoyed remark)
3. oh (preceding an invocation or address, but rarely a solemn one)

Derived terms

• ach du liebe Güte
• ach du lieber Gott
• ach je
• ächzen

 

Descendants

• Danish: ah
  • Norwegian Bokmål: ah, a

Further reading

• “ach” in Duden online
• Friedrich Kluge (1883), “ach”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891
• “ach” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

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Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Aran) IPA^(key): /ɑx/
• (Connemara, Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ax/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish acht (“but, except”), from Proto-Celtic *ektos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs.

Alternative forms

• acht (obsolete)

Conjunction

ach

1. but

Preposition

ach (plus nominative, triggers no mutation)

1. except, but

Derived terms

• ach oiread (“as well”) (after a negative)

Adverb

ach

1. but, only, merely

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic.

Alternative forms

• ách

Interjection

ach!

1. ah! och! ugh!

Further reading

• "ach" in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “acht”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Entries containing “ach” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “ach” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

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Middle Low German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑx/, [ax], [ɑχ]

Interjection

ach

1. oh (an expression of grievance or displeasure)

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North Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian achta. Compare West Frisian acht.

Numeral

ach

1. (Heligoland) eight

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Polish

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ax/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ax
• Syllabification: ach

Interjection

ach

1. ah! (expresses surprise)

   Synonyms: och, ojej, ależ

Derived terms

noun

• achy i ochy

 

adjective

• ach i och

 

verb

• achać

 

Further reading

• ach in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• ach in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Scots

Etymology

In imitation of a cry.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑx/

Interjection

ach

1. exclamation of impatience, disappointment, contempt, remonstrance.
2. expression of satisfaction or pleasure.

References

• “ach, int.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.

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Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

From Old Irish acht (“but, except”), from Proto-Celtic *ektos, from Proto-Indo-European *eghs.

Conjunction

ach

1. but

   Thèid mise ach cha tèid thusa. ― I'll go but you won't [go].

2. except, only

   Cha robh ann ach trì daoine. ― There were only three people (literally "there was not there but/except for three people").

Etymology 2

Shortened form of feuch.

Conjunction

ach

1. so that

   Dh'aontaich e ach am biodh adhartas air choireigin ann. ― He agreed so that there would be some progress.

References

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “acht”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

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Temascaltepec Nahuatl

Adverb

ach

1. maybe

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Welsh

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *akkā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekkeh₂ (compare Latin Acca (Larentia), a Roman goddess, Ancient Greek Ἀκκώ (Akkṓ, “nurse of Demeter”), Sanskrit अक्का (akkā, “mother”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aːχ/
• Rhymes: -aːχ

Noun

ach f (plural achau or achoedd)

1. kinship
2. pedigree, ancestry
3. (plural) lineage
4. (plural) genealogy, family roots

Derived terms

• achres (“genealogical table”)
• achydd (“genealogist”)
• achyddiaeth (“genealogy”)
• achyddol (“genealogical”)
• ers achau (“for ages”)

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

och, ych

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aχ/

Interjection

ach

1. yuck

Derived terms

ach-y-fi

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
ach	unchanged	unchanged	hach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “ach”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies