gaoth

Irish

Gaoth

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ɡeːh/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ɡiː/, (older) /ɡɯː/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish gáeth.

Noun

gaoth f (genitive singular gaoithe, nominative plural gaotha)

2. wind, a breeze
   • "Sigma", by Secret Garden

     ’S í an ghaoth do ghuth,
     ’s í an bháisteach do dheora...

     The wind is thy voice,
     the rain is thy tears...

3. empty talk, bombast
4. flatulence
5. hint, suggestion

   Synonym: gaothach

6. air
7. (literary) breath

Declension

Declension of gaoth

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative gaoth gaotha Vocative a ghaoth a ghaotha Genitive gaoithe gaoth Dative gaoth gaoith (archaic, dialectal) gaotha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an ghaoth na gaotha Genitive na gaoithe na ngaoth Dative leis an ngaoth leis an ngaoith (archaic, dialectal) don ghaoth don ghaoith (archaic, dialectal) leis na gaotha

• Alternative plural: gaothanna (Cois Fharraige)

Derived terms

• coileach gaoithe
• feirm ghaoithe
• gabhlán gaoithe
• gaofar
• gaothach
• gaothaire
• pocaire gaoithe
• tuirbín gaoithe

 

Etymology 2

From Old Irish gáeth (“estuary”).

Noun

gaoth m (genitive singular gaoith, nominative plural gaotha)

1. inlet of sea, estuary

Declension

Declension of gaoth

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative gaoth gaotha Vocative a ghaoith a ghaotha Genitive gaoith gaoth Dative gaoth gaotha

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an gaoth na gaotha Genitive an ghaoith na ngaoth Dative leis an ngaoth don ghaoth leis na gaotha

• Alternative genitive singular: gaotha

Derived terms

• Gaoth Dobhair

Etymology 3

From Old Irish gáeth (“wise, skilful”).

Adjective

gaoth (genitive singular masculine gaoith, genitive singular feminine gaoithe, plural gaotha, comparative gaoithe)

1. (literary) wise, sagacious, shrewd, intelligent

Declension

Declension of gaoth

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	gaoth	ghaoth	gaotha; ghaotha²
Vocative	ghaoith		gaotha
Genitive		gaoithe	gaotha	gaoth
Dative	gaoth; ghaoth¹	ghaoth; ghaoith (archaic)	gaotha; ghaotha²
Comparative	níos gaoithe
Superlative	is gaoithe

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
gaoth	ghaoth	ngaoth
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

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

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish gáeth.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɯː/

Noun

gaoth f (genitive singular gaoithe, plural gaothan)

1. wind

   Tha a' ghaoth ag èiridh. ― The wind is rising.

2. (vulgar) flatulence

Declension

Declension of gaoth (class IIa feminine noun)

Indefinite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	gaoth	gaothan
Genitive	gaoithe	ghaoth
Dative	gaoith	gaothan; gaothaibh✝
Definite
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	(a') ghaoth	(na) gaothan
Genitive	(na) gaoithe	(nan) gaoth
Dative	(a') ghaoith	(na) gaothan; gaothaibh✝
Vocative	ghaoth	ghaotha

^✝ obsolete form, used until the 19th century

• Alternative genitive singular: gaoitheadh (Uist, Barra)

Derived terms

• crann-gaoithe (“wind turbine”)
• gaoth tro tholl (“draught”)
• gaoth-ghrèine (“solar wind”)
• gaothach (“windy; flatulent”)
• gobhlan-gaoithe (“swallow”)
• muileann-gaoithe (“windmill”)
• sgèile gaoithe (“wind scale”)
• sruth-gaoith (“draught”)
• tuathanas-gaoithe (“wind farm”)

 

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “gaoth”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 gáeth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language