dreach

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish drech (“face, countenance; front; surface”).

Noun 1

dreach m (genitive singular dreacha, nominative plural dreacha)

1. facial appearance; look, expression; aspect
2. face, surface

Declension

Declension of dreach

Third declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative dreach dreacha Vocative a dhreach a dhreacha Genitive dreacha dreach Dative dreach dreacha

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an dreach na dreacha Genitive an dreacha na ndreach Dative leis an dreach don dreach leis na dreacha

Derived terms

• bailedhreach (“townscape”)
• tírdhreach (“landscape”)

 

Noun 2

dreach f (genitive singular dreiche, nominative plural dreacha)

1. (literary) front

Declension

Declension of dreach

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative dreach dreacha Vocative a dhreach a dhreacha Genitive dreiche dreacha Dative dreach dreacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an dreach na dreacha Genitive na dreiche na ndreacha Dative leis an dreach don dreach leis na dreacha

Verb

dreach (present analytic dreachann, future analytic dreachfaidh, verbal noun dreachadh, past participle dreachta)

1. (transitive) delineate, portray
2. (transitive, theater) make up

Conjugation

conjugation of dreach (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	dreachaim	dreachann tú; dreachair†	dreachann sé, sí	dreachaimid	dreachann sibh	dreachann siad; dreachaid†	a dhreachann; a dhreachas / a ndreachann*; a ndreachas*	dreachtar
	past	dhreach mé; dhreachas	dhreach tú; dhreachais	dhreach sé, sí	dhreachamar; dhreach muid	dhreach sibh; dhreachabhair	dhreach siad; dhreachadar	a dhreach / ar dhreach*	dreachadh
	past habitual	dhreachainn / ndreachainn‡‡	dhreachtá / ndreachtᇇ	dhreachadh sé, sí / ndreachadh sé, s퇇	dhreachaimis; dhreachadh muid / ndreachaimis‡‡; ndreachadh muid‡‡	dhreachadh sibh / ndreachadh sibh‡‡	dhreachaidís; dhreachadh siad / ndreachaidís‡‡; ndreachadh siad‡‡	a dhreachadh / a ndreachadh*	dhreachtaí / ndreachta퇇
future		dreachfaidh mé; dreachfad	dreachfaidh tú; dreachfair†	dreachfaidh sé, sí	dreachfaimid; dreachfaidh muid	dreachfaidh sibh	dreachfaidh siad; dreachfaid†	a dhreachfaidh; a dhreachfas / a ndreachfaidh*; a ndreachfas*	dreachfar
conditional		dhreachfainn / ndreachfainn‡‡	dhreachfá / ndreachfᇇ	dhreachfadh sé, sí / ndreachfadh sé, s퇇	dhreachfaimis; dhreachfadh muid / ndreachfaimis‡‡; ndreachfadh muid‡‡	dhreachfadh sibh / ndreachfadh sibh‡‡	dhreachfaidís; dhreachfadh siad / ndreachfaidís‡‡; ndreachfadh siad‡‡	a dhreachfadh / a ndreachfadh*	dhreachfaí / ndreachfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go ndreacha mé; go ndreachad†	go ndreacha tú; go ndreachair†	go ndreacha sé, sí	go ndreachaimid; go ndreacha muid	go ndreacha sibh	go ndreacha siad; go ndreachaid†	—	go ndreachtar
	past	dá ndreachainn	dá ndreachtá	dá ndreachadh sé, sí	dá ndreachaimis; dá ndreachadh muid	dá ndreachadh sibh	dá ndreachaidís; dá ndreachadh siad	—	dá ndreachtaí
imperative		dreachaim	dreach	dreachadh sé, sí	dreachaimis	dreachaigí; dreachaidh†	dreachaidís	—	dreachtar
verbal noun		dreachadh
past participle		dreachta

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

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
dreach	dhreach	ndreach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “dreach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 drech”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “dreach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “dreach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

---

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

dreach m (genitive singular dreacha, plural dreachan)

1. draft, version
2. form, appearance
3. complexion, hue

Derived terms

• mì-dhreach (“deformity, disfiguration; bad look, unpleasant appearance, unpleasant exterior”)

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
dreach	dhreach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.