ceithre
Irish
Pronunciation
Numeral
ceithre
Usage notes
- May be used with nouns in both the singular and plural; the singular is more common in general, but the plural must be used with units of measurement and the like. Triggers lenition of nouns in the singular and h-prothesis of nouns in the plural.
- ceithre chat ― four cats
- ceithre troithe ― four feet
- ceithre huaire ― four times
- When used with the definite article, the definite article is always in the plural. When used with nouns modified by adjectives, the adjective is also in the plural and is always lenited after nouns in the singular but only lenites after nouns in the plural when they end in slender consonants:
- ceithre chapall bhána ― four white horses
- na ceithre eaglais mhóra ― the four big churches
- But:
- ceithre capaill bhána ― four white horses
- na ceithre heaglaisí móra ― the four big churches
- When referring to human beings, the personal form ceathrar is used.
Derived terms
- ceithre fichid, ceithre scór (“four score, eighty”)
Related terms
Mutation
Irish mutation | ||
---|---|---|
Radical | Lenition | Eclipsis |
ceithre | cheithre | gceithre |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
References
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ceithre”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “ceithre”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
- “ceithre”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024