buí

Irish

Alternative forms

• buidhe (superseded)

Etymology

From Old Irish buide.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bˠiː/

Adjective

buí (comparative buí or buíocha)

1. yellow (having yellow as its colour)
2. (by extension, of skin) sallow, jaundiced

   Proverb:

   Más peaca a bheith buí tá na mílte damanta.

   Beauty is only skin deep.

   (literally, “If it’s a sin to be sallow thousands are damned.”)

3. tan

Declension

Declension of buí

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	buí	bhuí	buí; bhuí²
Vocative	bhuí		buí
Genitive		buí	buí	buí
Dative	buí; bhuí¹	bhuí	buí; bhuí²
Comparative	níos buí
Superlative	is buí

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

• Alternative comparative form: buíocha (Cois Fharraige)

Derived terms

• arán buí (“cornbread”)
• barrbhuí (“yellow-topped; blonde”)
• buí le grian, ón ngrian (“tanned by the sun”)
• buí sa chraiceann (“sallow-skinned, of sallow complexion”)
• buíbhallach (“spotted with yellow”)
• buíbhán (“light yellow; cream-coloured”)
• buíbhreac (“speckled with yellow”)
• buídhearg (“yellowish-red”)
• buídhonn (“fawn-coloured”)
• buígh (“yellow, tan”, verb)
• buíliath
• buíocht (“yellowness; sallowness”)
• ceannbhuí (“yellow-headed, yellow-haired”)
• cróchbhuí (“saffron yellow”)
• donnbhuí (“yellowish brown; fallow, biscuit(-coloured)”)
• dúbhuí (“dark yellow”)
• Fear Buí (“Orangeman”)
• flannbhuí (“orange”)
• geansaí buí m (“yellow jersey”)
• gine buí (“yellow, golden, guinea”)
• grán buí (“maize”)
• iasc buí (“dried fish”)
• leathbhuí, scothbhuí (“yellowish”)
• ór buí (“yellow gold”)
• órbhuí (“golden-coloured”)
• osbhuí (“fawn”, adjective)
• solas buí gréine (“golden sunlight”)

 

Noun

buí m (genitive singular buí, nominative plural buíonna)

1. yellow (colour)
2. 1. yellow blight
   2. yellow plague

Declension

Declension of buí

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative buí buíonna Vocative a bhuí a bhuíonna Genitive buí buíonna Dative buí buíonna

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an buí na buíonna Genitive an bhuí na mbuíonna Dative leis an mbuí don bhuí leis na buíonna

Derived terms

• buí cumhra (“mignonette”)
• buí mór (“dyer's rocket”)
• buí na n-iníon, na mbáb (“spurge”)
• osbhuí (“fawn”)

 

Proper noun

buí f (genitive buí)

1. (name for) a yellow cow

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
buí	bhuí	mbuí
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “buí”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 buide”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “buí”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “buí”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024