féile

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʲeːlʲə/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish féil (“festival, feast day”) (compare Scottish Gaelic fèill), from Latin vigilia (“wakefulness, watch”), from vigil (“awake”), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- (“to be strong”).

Noun

féile f (genitive singular féile, nominative plural féilte)

1. (Christianity) feast, feast day
2. festival

   Synonym: feis

3. hospitality

   Synonyms: aíocht, fáilte, flaithiúlacht

Declension

Declension of féile

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative féile féilte Vocative a fhéile a fhéilte Genitive féile féilte Dative féile féilte

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an fhéile na féilte Genitive na féile na bhféilte Dative leis an bhféile don fhéile leis na féilte

Derived terms

• Féile Satairn
• lá féile／Lá Fhéile
• Oíche Fhéile Eoin
• tine Fhéile Eoin (“Saint John's Eve bonfire”)

 

Etymology 2

From Old Irish féile (“modesty, generosity”), from Proto-Celtic *weiliyā (“modesty”). By surface analysis, fial +‎ -e. Cognate with Welsh gwyledd.

Noun

féile f (genitive singular féile)

1. generosity, hospitality

Declension

Declension of féile

Fourth declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative féile Vocative a fhéile Genitive féile Dative féile

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an fhéile Genitive na féile Dative leis an bhféile don fhéile

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

féile

1. inflection of fial:
   1. feminine genitive singular
   2. comparative degree

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
féile	fhéile	bhféile
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “féil ‘vigil’”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 307
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “féile ‘generosity’”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 308
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “féile”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “féile”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “féile”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɸʲeːlʲe]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *weiliyā (“modesty”), abstract noun from *weilos (“modest”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“turn”), which could be related to Latin vīlis (“cheap, abundant”). By surface analysis, fíal +‎ -e. Cognate with Welsh gwyledd.

Noun

féile f (genitive féili, no plural)

1. modesty, generosity

Declension

Feminine iā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	féileL	—	—
Vocative	féileL	—	—
Accusative	féiliN	—	—
Genitive	féile	—	—
Dative	féiliL	—	—
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

féile f

1. genitive singular of féil

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
féile	ḟéile	féile pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.