cleas

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /clʲasˠ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish cles (“feat”). Perhaps ultimately related to cluiche (“joke, game”).

Noun

cleas m (genitive singular clis or cleasa, nominative plural cleasa or cleasanna)

1. trick
   • 27 June 2015, Alan Titley, "Caimléireacht scrúdaithe", The Irish Times

     Is é an cleas is fearr, gan amhras, ná go mbeadh an obair déanta, […]

     The best trick, of course, is that the work is done, […]

2. feat
3. knack
4. act

Declension

Declension of cleas (first declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative cleas cleasa vocative a chlis a chleasa genitive clis cleas dative cleas cleasa forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an cleas na cleasa genitive an chlis na gcleas dative leis an gcleas don chleas leis na cleasa

Alternative declension:

Declension of cleas (third declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative cleas cleasanna vocative a chleas a chleasanna genitive cleasa cleasanna dative cleas cleasanna forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an cleas na cleasanna genitive an chleasa na gcleasanna dative leis an gcleas don chleas leis na cleasanna

Derived terms

• cleas magaidh (“practical joke”)
• cleas na bacóide (“hopscotch”)
• cleasach (“playful, tricky”, adjective)
• cleasaí (“joker”)
• lúthchleas (“athletics”)

Related terms

• clis (“to jump”)

Etymology 2

From English class.

Noun

cleas m (genitive singular cleas, nominative plural cleasanna)

1. (derogatory) class (of persons), gang

Declension

Declension of cleas (fourth declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative cleas cleasanna vocative a chleas a chleasanna genitive cleas cleasanna dative cleas cleasanna forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an cleas na cleasanna genitive an chleas na gcleasanna dative leis an gcleas don chleas leis na cleasanna

Mutation

Mutated forms of cleas

radical	lenition	eclipsis
cleas	chleas	gcleas

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. (1904), “cleas”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 146
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “cleas”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959), “cleas”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “cleas”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish cles (“feat”). Perhaps ultimately related to cluich (“joke, game”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʰles/

Noun

cleas m (genitive singular cleasa, plural cleasan)

1. prank, joke
2. (dated) act, feat, exploit
3. trick, stunt, device

Derived terms

• cleasachd f (“play, playing; recreation; juggling; conjuring”)
• cleasaich (“play”, verb)