athair

See also: Athair

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈahəɾʲ/
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈæhəɾʲ/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /æːɾʲ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish athair, from Proto-Celtic *ɸatīr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr.

Noun

athair m (genitive singular athar, nominative plural aithreacha)

1. father (male parent; term of address for a priest; male ancestor more remote than a parent, a progenitor)

   Fuair m’athair bás.

   My father died.

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 21:

     ḱē n xȳ ə wil tū, ə æhŕ̥?

     conventional orthography: Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú, a athair?

     How are you, father? (could be addressed to one’s own father or to a priest, as in English)

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:

     mə æhŕəxə

     conventional orthography: m’aithreacha (“my fathers, my ancestors”)

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:

     nə h-æhŕəxə n̄ȳfe

     conventional orthography: na haithreacha naofa (“the Church Fathers”)

2. ancestor
3. sire

Declension

Declension of athair

Fifth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative athair aithreacha Vocative a athair a aithreacha Genitive athar aithreacha Dative athair aithreacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an t-athair na haithreacha Genitive an athar na n-aithreacha Dative leis an athair don athair leis na haithreacha

• Archaic nominative/vocative plural: aithre
• Archaic genitive plural: aithreach
• Archaic dative plural: aithribh, aithreachaibh

Coordinate terms

• iníon (“daughter”)
• máthair (“mother”)
• mac (“son”)

Derived terms

Terms derived from athair

• Aithreacha na Cathrach
• aithriúil
• An tAthair-Mhac
• An tAthair Naofa
• An tAthair Síoraí

• ardathair, uasalathair
• Ár nAthair
• athair altrama
• athair céile

• athair clainne, athair muintire, athair teaghlaigh
• athair críonna, athair mór, seanathair
• athair faoistine
• athair naofa

• Dia an tAthair
• leasathair
• ó athair go mac, ón athair go dtí an mac
• sin-seanathair

Etymology 2

Noun

athair f (genitive singular athrach)

1. creeper
2. Alternative form of nathair (“snake”)

Declension

Declension of athair

Fifth declension

Bare forms (no plural for this noun): Case Singular Nominative athair Vocative a athair Genitive athrach Dative athair

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Nominative an athair Genitive na hathrach Dative leis an athair don athair

Derived terms

• athair thalún (“milfoil, yarrow”)

Mutation

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

Further reading

• "athair" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• “1 athair” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
• “aṫair” in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, Irish Texts Society, 1927, by Patrick S. Dinneen.

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Old Irish

Alternative forms

• athir

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *ɸatīr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaθirʲ/

Noun

athair m (genitive athar, nominative plural aithir)

1. father

Inflection

Masculine r-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative
Vocative
Accusative
Genitive
Dative
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: athair
• Manx: ayr
• Scottish Gaelic: athair

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
athair	unchanged	n-athair
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• “1 athair” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

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Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish athair, from Proto-Celtic *ɸatīr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈahəɾʲ/

Noun

athair m (genitive singular athar, plural athraichean)

1. father

Derived terms

• athair-baistidh (“godfather”)
• athair-cèile (“father-in-law”)
• bràthair-athar (“paternal uncle”)
• piuthar-athar (“paternal aunt”)
• taobh athar (“paternal”)

Antonyms

• màthair

Mutation

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

References

• “1 athair” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.