garbh

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish garb, from Proto-Celtic *garwos (compare Welsh garw (“coarse”)).

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑɾˠəvˠ/
• (Connemara) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaɾˠəvˠ/
• (Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaɾˠuː/

Adjective

garbh (genitive singular masculine gairbh, genitive singular feminine gairbhe, plural garbha, comparative gairbhe)

1. rough, harsh
2. rugged, coarse, crude
3. unpolished
4. approximate
5. (of potatoes) large

Declension

Declension of garbh

Positive	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	garbh	gharbh	garbha; gharbha2
vocative	ghairbh		garbha
genitive		gairbhe	garbha	garbh
dative	garbh; gharbh1	gharbh; ghairbh (archaic)	garbha; gharbha2
Comparative	níos gairbhe
Superlative	is gairbhe

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

Derived terms

• adhgharbh (“very rough”, adjective)
• gairbhe f (“roughness, coarseness”)
• garbh-bhéal m (“coarse mouth”)
• garbhadas m (“roughness, coarseness”)
• garbhaigh (“roughen; become rough”, verb)
• garbhán m (“coarse substance”)
• garbhánach m (“coarse-grained person”)
• garbhanálú m (“rough breathing”)
• garbhánta (“coarse-grained”, adjective)
• garbhántacht f (“coarseness (of grain, fibre)”)
• garbhchiumhaiseach (“rough-edged”, adjective)
• garbhchloch f (“rough, uncut, stone”)
• garbhchríoch f (“rough boundary”)
• garbhchumtha (“rough-shaped”, adjective)
• garbhdhéanta (“rough-made, coarse”, adjective)
• garbhghlórach (“rough-spoken, raucous”, adjective)
• garbhghnúiseach (“rough-visaged”, adjective)
• garbhiarann m (“pig-iron”)
• garbhiasc m (“large sea-fish”)
• garbhlabhartha (“rough-spoken”, adjective)
• garbhlach m (“rough ground”)
• garbhlus m (“goose grass; catchweed”)
• garbhóg f (“coarse object or person”)
• garbhógach f (“club moss”)
• garbhphlána m (“jack-plane”)
• garbhshíon f (“rough weather”)
• garbhshnoigh (“rough-hew”, transitive verb)
• garbhtheilg (“rough-cast”, transitive verb)
• garbhtheilgean m (“rough-cast”)
• garbhuille m (“approach shot”)
• píobán garbh m (“windpipe, trachea”)

Verb

garbh (present analytic garbhann, future analytic garbhfaidh, verbal noun garbhadh, past participle garfa)

1. (ambitransitive) alternative form of garbhaigh (“roughen; become rough”)

Conjugation

Conjugation of garbh (first conjugation – A)

indicative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	garbhaim	garbhann tú; garbhair†	garbhann sé, sí	garbhaimid; garbhann muid	garbhann sibh	garbhann siad; garbhaid†	a gharbhann; a gharbhas	garbhtar
past	gharbh mé; gharbhas	gharbh tú; gharbhais	gharbh sé, sí	gharbhamar; gharbh muid	gharbh sibh; gharbhabhair	gharbh siad; gharbhadar	a gharbh	garbhadh
past habitual	gharbhainn / garbhainn‡	gharbhtá / garbhtá‡	gharbhadh sé, sí / garbhadh sé, sí‡	gharbhaimis; gharbhadh muid / garbhaimis‡; garbhadh muid‡	gharbhadh sibh / garbhadh sibh‡	gharbhaidís; gharbhadh siad / garbhaidís‡; garbhadh siad‡	a gharbhadh	gharbhtaí / garbhtaí‡
	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	garbhfaidh mé; garbhfad	garbhfaidh tú; garbhfair†	garbhfaidh sé, sí	garbhfaimid; garbhfaidh muid	garbhfaidh sibh	garbhfaidh siad; garbhfaid†	a gharbhfaidh; a gharbhfas	garbhfar
conditional	gharbhfainn / garbhfainn‡	gharbhfá / garbhfá‡	gharbhfadh sé, sí / garbhfadh sé, sí‡	gharbhfaimis; gharbhfadh muid / garbhfaimis‡; garbhfadh muid‡	gharbhfadh sibh / garbhfadh sibh‡	gharbhfaidís; gharbhfadh siad / garbhfaidís‡; garbhfadh siad‡	a gharbhfadh	gharbhfaí / garbhfaí‡
subjunctive	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	go ngarbha mé; go ngarbhad†	go ngarbha tú; go ngarbhair†	go ngarbha sé, sí	go ngarbhaimid; go ngarbha muid	go ngarbha sibh	go ngarbha siad; go ngarbhaid†	—	go ngarbhtar
past	dá ngarbhainn	dá ngarbhtá	dá ngarbhadh sé, sí	dá ngarbhaimis; dá ngarbhadh muid	dá ngarbhadh sibh	dá ngarbhaidís; dá ngarbhadh siad	—	dá ngarbhtaí
imperative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
—	garbhaim	garbh	garbhadh sé, sí	garbhaimis	garbhaigí; garbhaidh†	garbhaidís	—	garbhtar
past participle	garfa
verbal noun	garbhadh

^† archaic or dialect form
^‡ dependent form

Mutation

Mutated forms of garbh

radical	lenition	eclipsis
garbh	gharbh	ngarbh

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

Further reading

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

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish garb, from Proto-Celtic *garwos (compare Welsh garw (“coarse”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaɾav/

Adjective

garbh (comparative nas gairbhe, superlative as gairbhe)

1. rough (as in a rough surface)
2. wild (about the weather)
3. hoarse
4. gross

Mutation

Mutation of garbh

radical	lenition
garbh	gharbh

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

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