fírinne

See also: firinne and fìrinne

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish fírinne, from fír (“true”) (see fíor).

Pronunciation

• (Waterford, Cork) IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːɾʲɪɲɪ/
• (Kerry) IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːɾʲənʲə/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːɾʲən̠ʲə/

Noun

fírinne f (genitive singular fírinne, nominative plural fírinní)

1. truth

Declension

Declension of fírinne

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative fírinne fírinní Vocative a fhírinne a fhírinní Genitive fírinne fírinní Dative fírinne fírinní

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an fhírinne na fírinní Genitive na fírinne na bhfírinní Dative leis an bhfírinne don fhírinne leis na fírinní

Antonyms

• neamhfhírinne

Derived terms

• buanfhírinne f (“eternal truth”)
• déanta na fírinne (“to tell the truth, as a matter of fact”)

Related terms

• fíor (“true”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
fírinne	fhírinne	bhfírinne
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “fírinne”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old Irish

Etymology

fírían +‎ -e

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɸʲiːrʲin͈ʲe]

Noun

fírinne f

1. justice, righteousness
   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 55^d11

     Amal du·berad nech hi ceist do Dauid: “Húare is móir sléb fírinne Dǽ, cid ara fodmai-siu, ⟨a⟩ Dauid, didiu a ndu imnedaib ⁊ frithoircnib fodaimi? Air it fírían-⟨s⟩u.” Ícaid-som didiu anísin, a n-as·mbeir iudicia Domini abisus multa .i. ataat mesai Dǽ nephchomtetarrachti amal abis ⁊ amal fudumain. Is ed in sin fod·era in n-erígim, cid ara fodaim int aís fírían inna fochaidi, ⁊ cid ara mbiat in pecthaig isnaib soinmechaib.

     As though someone had put as a question to David: “Because God’s righteousness is as great as a mountain, why then, David, dost thou suffer what of afflictions and injuries thou sufferest? For thou art righteous.” He solves that then when he says “iudicia Domini abyssus multa”, i.e. there are judgments of God incomprehensible like an abyss and like a depth. That is what causes the complaint why the righteous folk endure tribulations, and why sinners are in prosperity.

2. truth

Inflection

Feminine iā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	fírinneL	—	—
Vocative	fírinneL	—	—
Accusative	fírinniN	—	—
Genitive	fírinne	—	—
Dative	fírinniL	—	—
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: fírinne
• Manx: firriney
• Scottish Gaelic: fìrinne

Mutation

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

Further reading

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