balb

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin balbus (“stammering”). Doublet of bovo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈbalp]

Adjective

balb (feminine balba, masculine plural balbs, feminine plural balbes)

1. (archaic) stammering
2. numb

Derived terms

• balbar
• balbejar
• balbís
• balbotejar
• desbalbar
• embalbir

Related terms

• balbuç

Further reading

• “balb” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “balb”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “balb” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “balb” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Old Irish

Etymology

From Latin balbus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [balβ]

Adjective

balb

1. dumb, silent
2. stammering, inarticulate, murmurous (of speech)
3. (of water, weather) still, calm

Declension

o/ā-stem

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	balb	balb	balb
vocative	bailb* balb**
accusative	balb	bailb
genitive	bailb	bailbe	bailb
dative	balb	bailb	balb
plural	masculine	feminine/neuter
nominative	bailb	balba
vocative	balbu balba†
accusative	balbu balba†
genitive	balb
dative	balbaib

*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative
**modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative
† not when substantivized

Descendants

• Irish: balbh
• Manx: balloo
• Scottish Gaelic: balbh

Mutation

Mutation of balb

radical	lenition	nasalization
balb	balb pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/	mbalb

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

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