gabhar

Irish

gabhar

Etymology

From Old Irish gabor (“goat, horse”), from Proto-Celtic *gabros (“he-goat”), from Proto-Indo-European *kápros (“male hooved animal”). Cognate with Latin caper (“goat”) and Ancient Greek κάπρος (kápros, “wild boar”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡəuɾˠ/

Noun

gabhar m (genitive singular gabhair, nominative plural gabhair)

1. goat

   Proverb:

   Cuir (culaith) s(h)íoda, ar ghabhar agus is gabhar i gcónaí é.

   You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

   (literally, “Put silk (clothes) on a goat, and it's still a goat.”)

   Proverb:

   Mura mbeadh agat ach gabhar bí i lár an aonaigh leis.

   Don't hide your light under a bushel.

   (literally, “If all you have is a goat, be in the middle of the fair with it.”)

   Proverb:

   Is doiligh olann a bhaint de ghabhar.

   One can't get blood out of a stone.

   (literally, “It's difficult to get oil from a goat.”)

2. scad, horse-mackerel

   Synonyms: bolmán, bolmán Atlantach

Declension

Declension of gabhar

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative gabhar gabhair Vocative a ghabhair a ghabhara Genitive gabhair gabhar Dative gabhar gabhair

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an gabhar na gabhair Genitive an ghabhair na ngabhar Dative leis an ngabhar don ghabhar leis na gabhair

Derived terms

• An Gabhar (“Capricorn”)
• aoire gabhar, tréadaí gabhar (“goatherd”)
• cluimhreach gabhair (“mare's-tail”)
• craiceann gabhair (“goatskin”)
• fiaghabhar, gabhar fia, gabhar fiáin (“wild goat, chamois”)
• gabhar angóra (“angora”)
• gabhar reo, deorach (“male snipe”)
• gabhar sléibhe (“mountain goat”)
• gabhar tiomanta (“scapegoat”)
• pocaide gabhair (“billygoat”)
• sceilpín gabhair (“stooge”)

 

Noun 2

gabhar f or m (genitive singular gabhra, nominative plural gabhra)

1. (literary) (white) horse

Declension

Declension of gabhar

Third declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative gabhar gabhra Vocative a ghabhar a ghabhra Genitive gabhra gabhra Dative gabhar gabhra

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an ghabhar na gabhra Genitive na gabhra na ngabhra Dative leis an ngabhar don ghabhar leis na gabhra

Alternative declension

Declension of gabhar

Third declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative gabhar gabhra Vocative a ghabhar a ghabhra Genitive gabhra gabhar Dative gabhar gabhra

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an gabhar na gabhra Genitive an ghabhra na ngabhar Dative leis an ngabhar don ghabhar leis na gabhra

Derived terms

• gabhra lir, réin (“white-crested waves”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
gabhar	ghabhar	ngabhar
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “gabhar”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 gabor”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 gabor”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “gabhar”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “gabhar”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024