buail

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish búailid (“to beat, knock”). See buille (“blow, stroke”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bˠuəlʲ/
• (Ulster, dated) IPA^(key): /bˠiːlʲ/
• (rapid speech) IPA^(key): /bˠɔlʲ/

Verb

buail (present analytic buaileann, future analytic buailfidh, verbal noun bualadh, past participle buailte)

1. (ambitransitive) strike, hit, beat

   An té a bhuailtear sa cheann bíonn eagla air. ― A burnt child dreads the fire. (literally, “He who gets hit in the head has fear.”)

2. defeat, beat
3. strike out, make one's way, proceed
4. to clap (one's hands)
5. to mint (coins)

Conjugation

Conjugation of buail (first conjugation – A)

indicative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	buailim	buaileann tú; buailir†	buaileann sé, sí	buailimid; buaileann muid	buaileann sibh	buaileann siad; buailid†	a bhuaileann; a bhuaileas	buailtear
past	bhuail mé; bhuaileas	bhuail tú; bhuailis	bhuail sé, sí	bhuaileamar; bhuail muid	bhuail sibh; bhuaileabhair	bhuail siad; bhuaileadar	a bhuail	buaileadh
past habitual	bhuailinn / buailinn‡	bhuailteá / buailteá‡	bhuaileadh sé, sí / buaileadh sé, sí‡	bhuailimis; bhuaileadh muid / buailimis‡; buaileadh muid‡	bhuaileadh sibh / buaileadh sibh‡	bhuailidís; bhuaileadh siad / buailidís‡; buaileadh siad‡	a bhuaileadh	bhuailtí / buailtí‡
	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	buailfidh mé; buailfead	buailfidh tú; buailfir†	buailfidh sé, sí	buailfimid; buailfidh muid	buailfidh sibh	buailfidh siad; buailfid†	a bhuailfidh; a bhuailfeas	buailfear
conditional	bhuailfinn / buailfinn‡	bhuailfeá / buailfeá‡	bhuailfeadh sé, sí / buailfeadh sé, sí‡	bhuailfimis; bhuailfeadh muid / buailfimis‡; buailfeadh muid‡	bhuailfeadh sibh / buailfeadh sibh‡	bhuailfidís; bhuailfeadh siad / buailfidís‡; buailfeadh siad‡	a bhuailfeadh	bhuailfí / buailfí‡
subjunctive	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	go mbuaile mé; go mbuailead†	go mbuaile tú; go mbuailir†	go mbuaile sé, sí	go mbuailimid; go mbuaile muid	go mbuaile sibh	go mbuaile siad; go mbuailid†	—	go mbuailtear
past	dá mbuailinn	dá mbuailteá	dá mbuaileadh sé, sí	dá mbuailimis; dá mbuaileadh muid	dá mbuaileadh sibh	dá mbuailidís; dá mbuaileadh siad	—	dá mbuailtí
imperative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
—	buailim	buail	buaileadh sé, sí	buailimis	buailigí; buailidh†	buailidís	—	buailtear
past participle	buailte
verbal noun	bualadh

^† archaic or dialect form
^‡ dependent form

Quotations

• 1939, Peig Sayers, “Inghean an Cheannaidhe”, in Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études; 270) (overall work in French), Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, page 196:

  Do bhuail sé an cé isteach agus bhí Máire Bhán agus a leanbhín álainn roimis agus sceitimíní uirthi ag fáiltiughadh roimis.

  He made his way onto the quay, and Máire Bhán and her beautiful little child were waiting for him, and welcomed him excitedly.

Derived terms

• buail amach
• buail aníos
• buail anuas
• buail ar
• buail chuig
• buail faoi
• buail le
• buail roimh
• buail síos
• buail suas
• buail um
• clóbhuail
• frithbhuail

Descendants

• →⇒ Yola: beeley, bowley, booleyin

Mutation

Mutated forms of buail

radical	lenition	eclipsis
buail	bhuail	mbuail

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

Further reading

• “buail”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “buailim”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 95
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “buail”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish búalaid. See buille (“blow, stroke”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpuɪl/

Verb

buail (past bhuail, future buailidh, verbal noun bualadh, past participle buailte)

1. strike, hit, bang, beat, smite, knock, pelt, rap, thrust, thump
2. thrash, thresh (corn)
3. coin

Derived terms

• buail air
• buail an ceann

Mutation

Mutation of buail

radical	lenition
buail	bhuail

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Welsh

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈbɨ.ai̯l/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈbi.ai̯l/

Noun

buail m pl

1. plural of bual

Mutation

Mutated forms of buail

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
buail	fuail	muail	unchanged

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