giolla

Irish

Etymology 1

From Middle Irish gilla (“a youth of an age to bear arms”).

Noun

giolla m (genitive singular giolla, nominative plural giollaí)

1. youth; page, boy

   Synonyms: aosánach, buachaill, macaomh, ógánach

2. gillie, attendant; manservant, messenger

   Synonyms: searbhónta, seirbhíseach

3. fellow
4. (broadcasting) best boy, gofer
5. (golf) caddie

Derived terms

• banghiolla (“female attendant; usherette”)
• giolla airm (“armour-bearer”)
• giolla an phíopáin (“tea-pot”)
• giolla capaill, giolla eich (“horse-boy”)
• giolla clódóra (“printer's devil”)
• giolla cóiste (“(carriage) footman”)
• giolla cúirte (“court attendant”)
• giolla gabha (“smith's helper”)
• giolla gan iarraidh (“unwanted attendant, meddler”)
• giolla grá (“confidential servant”)
• giolla na leisce (“idle fellow, lazy-bones”)
• giolla púdair (“powder-monkey”)
• giolla rósta (“roasting jack”)
• giolla rua (“gillaroo”)
• giolla scoir (“stableman, groom”)
• giollacht f (“youth; age of service; attendance, service; leading, guidance”)
• giollán m (“little lad; little fellow”)
• giollúil (“lad-like, servant-like”, adjective)
• lus an ghiolla (“lousewort”)

 

Related terms

• giollanra m (“youths, attendants”)

Etymology 2

Noun

giolla m (genitive singular giolla, nominative plural giollaí)

1. Alternative form of goile (“stomach; appetite”)

Declension

Declension of giolla

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative giolla giollaí Vocative a ghiolla a ghiollaí Genitive giolla giollaí Dative giolla giollaí

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an giolla na giollaí Genitive an ghiolla na ngiollaí Dative leis an ngiolla don ghiolla leis na giollaí

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
giolla	ghiolla	ngiolla
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

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