cáel

See also: cael

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• cóel

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”) (compare Cornish and Welsh cul).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koːi̯l/, /kaːi̯l/

Adjective

cáel (equative caílithir)

1. thin, slender, narrow
2. fine, delicate

Inflection

o/ā-stem
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	cáel	cáel	cáel
Vocative	caíl* cáel**
Accusative	cáel	caíl
Genitive	caíl	caíle	caíl
Dative	cáel	caíl	cáel
Plural	Masculine	Feminine/neuter
Nominative	caíl	cáela
Vocative	cáelu cáela†
Accusative	cáelu cáela†
Genitive	cáel
Dative	cáelaib
Notes	*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized

Derived terms

• cáelach
• cáelán
• cáelas

Descendants

• Irish: caol
• Manx: keyl
• Scottish Gaelic: caol

Noun

cáel m

1. narrow
2. strait

Inflection

Masculine o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	cáel	cáelL	caílL
Vocative	caíl	cáelL	cáeluH
Accusative	cáelN	cáelL	cáeluH
Genitive	caílL	cáel	cáelN
Dative	cáelL	cáelaib	cáelaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: caol
• Scottish Gaelic: caol

Mutation

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

Further reading

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