baintreach

Irish

Alternative forms

• baintreabhach (superseded)
• baintreách

Etymology

From Middle Irish baintrebthach f, originally “landlady”, from ban- (combining form of ben (“woman”)) + trebthach (“housholder”), from treb (“farm, holding”), from Proto-Celtic *trebā (“settlement”) (compare Welsh tref (“town”)), from Proto-Indo-European *treb- (“settlement”) (compare Old English þorp (“village”), Lithuanian troba (“house”)). Replaced now archaic feadhbh, from Old Irish fedb.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbˠanʲtʲɾʲəx/

Noun

baintreach f (genitive singular baintrí, nominative plural baintreacha)

1. widow

   Synonym: baintreach mná

   Coordinate term: baintreach fir

Declension

Declension of baintreach

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative baintreach baintreacha Vocative a bhaintreach a bhaintreacha Genitive baintrí baintreach Dative baintreach baintreacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an bhaintreach na baintreacha Genitive na baintrí na mbaintreach Dative leis an mbaintreach don bhaintreach leis na baintreacha

Derived terms

• baintreach an rí (“queen dowager”)
• baintreach dhuair (“dowager”)
• baintreach dhubh (“black widow”)
• baintreachas m (“widowhood”)
• cianóg na baintrí f (“the widow's mite”)
• feisteas baintrí m (“weeds”)

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
baintreach	bhaintreach	mbaintreach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

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