geas
English
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
- (ancient Ireland, religion, mythology) A vow or obligation placed upon a person.
- 1992, Neil Gaiman, "Chivalry", republished in 1998, Smoke and Mirrors,
- Galaad stood up again and turned to Mrs. Whitaker. 'Gracious lady, keeper of the Holy of Holies, let me now depart this place with the Blessed Chalice, that my journeyings may be ended and my geas fulfilled.'
- 1989, Roger Zelazny, Knight of Shadows,
- It can send us where it will with a task laid upon us—a geas, if you like.
- 2003, Arthur Rowan, The Lore of the Bard: A Guide to the Celtic and Druid Mysteries, Llewellyn Worldwide, page 126,
- The geas is the last effective enchantment we shall consider. A geas is a restriction or compulsion laid upon a person by a druid or a bard. To break a geas is to forfeit one's share of luck and possibly one's life. […] Geasa are not curses, but recognitions of individual needs given to protect and help an individual succeed at life.
- 1992, Neil Gaiman, "Chivalry", republished in 1998, Smoke and Mirrors,
- A curse.
- A mystical compulsion.
- 1980, Stephen R. Donaldson, The Wounded Land, page 162,
- The memory came upon him like a geas, overwhelming his revulsion, numbing his heart.
- 2000, Ly De Angeles, Witchcraft: Theory and Practice, Llewellyn Worldwide, page 176,
- A geas is your own personal haunting by yourself! […] Kassandra, a Greek prophetess who always envisioned dreadful happenings, had a geas on her. She might have wanted to be a queen or a housewife, a warrior or a merchant, but she wasn't (even though a geas won't interfere in any of your pursuits). She became legendary for the geas that propelled her to prophesy dreadful happenings.
- 1980, Stephen R. Donaldson, The Wounded Land, page 162,
Anagrams
Irish
Pronunciation
Noun
geas
Noun
geas f (genitive singular geise, nominative plural geasa)
- Alternative form of geis
Declension
Declension of geas
Bare forms
|
Forms with the definite article
|
Noun
geas m
- Alternative form of gás (“gas; paraffin oil”)
Mutation
Irish mutation | ||
---|---|---|
Radical | Lenition | Eclipsis |
geas | gheas | ngeas |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “geas”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Northern Sami
Pronoun
geas
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology
From Old Irish geis, from the same root as guidid (“prays”).
Pronunciation
Noun
geas f (genitive singular geis or geasa, plural geasan)
Derived terms
Mutation
Scottish Gaelic mutation | |
---|---|
Radical | Lenition |
geas | gheas |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
See also
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Irish
- English terms derived from Irish
- English 1-syllable words
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɛʃ
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- Irish English
- en:Religion
- en:Mythology
- Irish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Irish non-lemma forms
- Irish noun plural forms
- Irish lemmas
- Irish nouns
- Irish feminine nouns
- Irish second-declension nouns
- Irish masculine nouns
- Northern Sami non-lemma forms
- Northern Sami pronoun forms
- Scottish Gaelic terms inherited from Old Irish
- Scottish Gaelic terms derived from Old Irish
- Scottish Gaelic terms with IPA pronunciation
- Scottish Gaelic lemmas
- Scottish Gaelic nouns
- Scottish Gaelic feminine nouns