brí

See also: bri

Irish

Etymology 1

(deprecated template usage)

From Old Irish bríg (“force, power, value”), from Proto-Celtic *brīgos (“strength”) (compare Welsh bri (“fame, distinction”)), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷrih₂-g-, a suffixed extended form of *gʷréh₂us (“heavy”) (compare Latin gravis, Ancient Greek βαρύς (barús), and Sanskrit गुरु (gurú).

Noun

brí f (genitive singular brí, nominative plural bríonna)

1. strength, vigor
2. meaning, significance
3. influence, merit
4. (in negative and interrogative phrases) quantity

Declension

Declension of brí

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative brí bríonna Vocative a bhrí a bhríonna Genitive brí bríonna Dative brí bríonna

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an bhrí na bríonna Genitive na brí na mbríonna Dative leis an mbrí don bhrí leis na bríonna

Derived terms

• bríomhar (“strong, powerful, vigorous”)
• dá bhrí sin (“therefore”)
• de bhrí go (“whereas”)
• fobhrí (“subsidiary meaning”)
• in ísle brí (“on the ropes”)

 

Etymology 2

(deprecated template usage)

From Old Irish brí, from Proto-Celtic *brixs.

Noun

brí f (genitive singular brí, nominative plural bríonna)

1. brae

Declension

Declension of brí

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative brí bríonna Vocative a bhrí a bhríonna Genitive brí bríonna Dative brí bríonna

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an bhrí na bríonna Genitive na brí na mbríonna Dative leis an mbrí don bhrí leis na bríonna

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
brí	bhrí	mbrí
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “brí”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “brí”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “brí”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

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Old Irish

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

From Proto-Celtic *brixs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʲrʲiː/

Noun

brí f (genitive breg, nominative plural brig)

1. hill

Inflection

Feminine g-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	brí	brigL	brig
Vocative	brí	brigL	brega
Accusative	brigN	brigL	brega
Genitive	breg	breg	bregN
Dative	brigL, brí	bregaib	bregaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: brí

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
brí	brí pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/	mbrí
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

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