caoch

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish cáech (“blind in one eye”), from Proto-Celtic *kaikos (compare Welsh coeg (“one-eyed, blind”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ikos (“one-eyed”) (compare Latin caecus (“blind”)).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /keːx/, [këːə̯x]
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /kiːx/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /kiːx/, (older) /kɯːx/

Adjective

caoch (genitive singular masculine caoich, genitive singular feminine caoiche, plural caocha, comparative caoiche)

1. blind, purblind (of creature)
2. blind, empty; (of place) blind, closed up (of seed-vessel)
3. (card games) nontrump
4. (nominalized, masculine) blind, purblind person, creature
5. (nominalized, feminine) found in the names of agriculturally harmful organisms

Declension

Declension of caoch

Positive	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	caoch	chaoch	caocha; chaocha2
vocative	chaoich		caocha
genitive		caoiche	caocha	caoch
dative	caoch; chaoch1	chaoch; chaoich (archaic)	caocha; chaocha2
Comparative	níos caoiche
Superlative	is caoiche

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

Derived terms

• caoch láibe m (“mole”)
• caoch na gcearc f (“henbane”)
• caoch rua f (“wireworm”)
• caochneantóg (“deadnettle”)

Verb

caoch (present analytic caochann, future analytic caochfaidh, verbal noun caochadh, past participle caochta)

1. (transitive) to blind; daze, dazzle
2. (intransitive, of seed-vessel) to become empty, wither
3. (intransitive) to close, become blocked
4. (intransitive) to wink [with ar ‘at’]; flicker

Conjugation

conjugation of caoch (first conjugation – A)

verbal noun	caochadh
past participle	caochta
tense	singular			plural			relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative
present	caochaim	caochann tú; caochair†	caochann sé, sí	caochaimid	caochann sibh	caochann siad; caochaid†	a chaochann; a chaochas / a gcaochann*	caochtar
past	chaoch mé; chaochas	chaoch tú; chaochais	chaoch sé, sí	chaochamar; chaoch muid	chaoch sibh; chaochabhair	chaoch siad; chaochadar	a chaoch / ar chaoch*	caochadh
past habitual	chaochainn / gcaochainn‡‡	chaochtá / gcaochtᇇ	chaochadh sé, sí / gcaochadh sé, s퇇	chaochaimis; chaochadh muid / gcaochaimis‡‡; gcaochadh muid‡‡	chaochadh sibh / gcaochadh sibh‡‡	chaochaidís; chaochadh siad / gcaochaidís‡‡; gcaochadh siad‡‡	a chaochadh / a gcaochadh*	chaochtaí / gcaochta퇇
future	caochfaidh mé; caochfad	caochfaidh tú; caochfair†	caochfaidh sé, sí	caochfaimid; caochfaidh muid	caochfaidh sibh	caochfaidh siad; caochfaid†	a chaochfaidh; a chaochfas / a gcaochfaidh*	caochfar
conditional	chaochfainn / gcaochfainn‡‡	chaochfá / gcaochfᇇ	chaochfadh sé, sí / gcaochfadh sé, s퇇	chaochfaimis; chaochfadh muid / gcaochfaimis‡‡; gcaochfadh muid‡‡	chaochfadh sibh / gcaochfadh sibh‡‡	chaochfaidís; chaochfadh siad / gcaochfaidís‡‡; gcaochfadh siad‡‡	a chaochfadh / a gcaochfadh*	chaochfaí / gcaochfa퇇
subjunctive
present	go gcaocha mé; go gcaochad†	go gcaocha tú; go gcaochair†	go gcaocha sé, sí	go gcaochaimid; go gcaocha muid	go gcaocha sibh	go gcaocha siad; go gcaochaid†	—	go gcaochtar
past	dá gcaochainn	dá gcaochtá	dá gcaochadh sé, sí	dá gcaochaimis; dá gcaochadh muid	dá gcaochadh sibh	dá gcaochaidís; dá gcaochadh siad	—	dá gcaochtaí
imperative
–	caochaim	caoch	caochadh sé, sí	caochaimis	caochaigí; caochaidh†	caochaidís	—	caochtar

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Mutation

Mutated forms of caoch

radical	lenition	eclipsis
caoch	chaoch	gcaoch

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

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “caoċ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 159; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “caoch”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• coech

Etymology

From Old Irish cáech (“blind in one eye; a person blind in one eye”), from Proto-Celtic *kaikos, from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ikos (“one-eyed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʰɯːx/

Adjective

caoch (genitive singular feminine caoiche)

1. empty
2. blind
3. hollow
4. blasted
5. one-eyed

Noun

caoch m

1. grampus
2. mole
3. blind beast

Mutation

Mutation of caoch

radical	lenition
caoch	chaoch

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

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911), “caoch”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “cáech”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language