caol

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish cáel, from Old Irish coíl, from Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”) (compare Cornish and Welsh cul).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /keːl̪ˠ/, [këːə̯l̪ˠ]
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /kiːlˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /kiːlˠ/, (older) /kɯːlˠ/

Adjective

caol (genitive singular masculine caoil, genitive singular feminine caoile, plural caola, comparative caoile)

1. thin, slender, slight (of slender build)
2. narrow
3. (sound) thin, shrill
4. (linguistics) slender (palatalized)

   Caol le caol agus leathan le leathan. (rule in Irish spelling)

   Slender (consonant) goes with slender (vowel) and broad (consonant) with broad (vowel).

5. dilute (weak, diluted)
6. (nominalized, masculine) slender part (of body, limb)

Declension

Declension of caol

Positive	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	caol	chaol	caola; chaola2
vocative	chaoil		caola
genitive		caoile	caola	caol
dative	caol; chaol1	chaol; chaoil (archaic)	caola; chaola2
Comparative	níos caoile
Superlative	is caoile

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

Synonyms

• (thin): tanaí
• (narrow): cúng

Antonyms

• (thin): ramhar
• (narrow): leathan

Derived terms

• barrchaol
• caoile
• caol na coise
• caolaigh
• caolán
• caolas
• caolchuid
• caolsráid

Noun

caol m (genitive singular caoil, nominative plural caolta)

1. narrows, channel

Declension

Declension of caol (first declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative caol caolta vocative a chaoil a chaola genitive caoil caol dative caol caolta forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an caol na caolta genitive an chaoil na gcaol dative leis an gcaol don chaol leis na caolta

Derived terms

• caológ (“small channel”)
• cuir caol ort féin (“sharpen yourself; make yourself scarce”, verb)

Verb

caol (present analytic caolann, future analytic caolfaidh, verbal noun caoladh, past participle caolta)

1. alternative form of caolaigh (“become thin”)

Conjugation

Conjugation of caol (first conjugation – A)

indicative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	caolaim	caolann tú; caolair†	caolann sé, sí	caolaimid; caolann muid	caolann sibh	caolann siad; caolaid†	a chaolann; a chaolas	caoltar
past	chaol mé; chaolas	chaol tú; chaolais	chaol sé, sí	chaolamar; chaol muid	chaol sibh; chaolabhair	chaol siad; chaoladar	a chaol	caoladh
past habitual	chaolainn / caolainn‡	chaoltá / caoltá‡	chaoladh sé, sí / caoladh sé, sí‡	chaolaimis; chaoladh muid / caolaimis‡; caoladh muid‡	chaoladh sibh / caoladh sibh‡	chaolaidís; chaoladh siad / caolaidís‡; caoladh siad‡	a chaoladh	chaoltaí / caoltaí‡
	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	caolfaidh mé; caolfad	caolfaidh tú; caolfair†	caolfaidh sé, sí	caolfaimid; caolfaidh muid	caolfaidh sibh	caolfaidh siad; caolfaid†	a chaolfaidh; a chaolfas	caolfar
conditional	chaolfainn / caolfainn‡	chaolfá / caolfá‡	chaolfadh sé, sí / caolfadh sé, sí‡	chaolfaimis; chaolfadh muid / caolfaimis‡; caolfadh muid‡	chaolfadh sibh / caolfadh sibh‡	chaolfaidís; chaolfadh siad / caolfaidís‡; caolfadh siad‡	a chaolfadh	chaolfaí / caolfaí‡
subjunctive	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	go gcaola mé; go gcaolad†	go gcaola tú; go gcaolair†	go gcaola sé, sí	go gcaolaimid; go gcaola muid	go gcaola sibh	go gcaola siad; go gcaolaid†	—	go gcaoltar
past	dá gcaolainn	dá gcaoltá	dá gcaoladh sé, sí	dá gcaolaimis; dá gcaoladh muid	dá gcaoladh sibh	dá gcaolaidís; dá gcaoladh siad	—	dá gcaoltaí
imperative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
—	caolaim	caol	caoladh sé, sí	caolaimis	caolaigí; caolaidh†	caolaidís	—	caoltar
past participle	caolta
verbal noun	caoladh

^† archaic or dialect form
^‡ dependent form

Mutation

Mutated forms of caol

radical	lenition	eclipsis
caol	chaol	gcaol

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

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “caol”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “caol”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 162; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959), “caol”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “caol”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

Scottish Gaelic

FWOTD – 14 November 2015

Etymology

From Middle Irish cáel, from Old Irish coíl, from Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”) (compare Cornish and Welsh cul).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʰɯːɫ̪/

Adjective

caol

1. thin, narrow

Antonyms

• leathann

Derived terms

• caoile
• caol-shràid
• ceàrn caol

Noun

caol m (genitive singular caoil, plural caoiltean)

1. strait, narrows, firth, kyle
2. the narrow part of anything

Derived terms

• caol-dùirn

Descendants

• → English: kyle

Mutation

Mutation of caol

radical	lenition
caol	chaol

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), “caol”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN