fíal

See also: fial

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɸʲiːa̯l/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *weilos (“modest”), from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“rotate turn”). Cognate with Welsh gŵyl (“modest, generous, kind”).

Adjective

fíal (equative félithir, comparative féliu)

2. noble, becoming, generous

Inflection

o/ā-stem

singular	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	fíal	fíal	fíal
vocative	féil* fíal**
accusative	fíal	féil
genitive	féil	féile	féil
dative	fíal	féil	fíal
plural	masculine	feminine/neuter
nominative	féil	fíala
vocative	fíalu fíala†
accusative	fíalu fíala†
genitive	fíal
dative	fíalaib

*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative
**modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative
† not when substantivized

Derived terms

• féle

Descendants

• Middle Irish: fíal
  • Irish: fial
  • Scottish Gaelic: fial
  • Manx: feoilt

Etymology 2

From Latin vēlum (“curtain, veil”).

Noun

fíal n

2. veil

Inflection

Neuter o-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	fíalN	fíalN	fíalL, fíala
vocative	fíalN	fíalN	fíalL, fíala
accusative	fíalN	fíalN	fíalL, fíala
genitive	féilL	fíal	fíalN
dative	fíalL	fíalaib	fíalaib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Middle Irish: fíal
  • Irish: fial
• Scottish Gaelic: fèileadh, èileadh

Mutation

Mutation of fíal

radical	lenition	nasalization
fíal	ḟíal	fíal pronounced with /β̃ʲ-/

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 fíal "noble"”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 fíal "veil"”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language