grá

See also: gra and grå

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Irish grá.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡrɑː/

Noun

grá (uncountable)

1. (Ireland) Love, affection.
   • 2023 August 5, Lauren Murphy, quoting Graham Sweeney, “Sounds of Achill”, in Irish Independent Magazine, page 11:

     He admits that, as a project, “it's a bit niche, but I think anybody who's been here develops a massive grá for Achill. […] ”

Icelandic

Etymology

See grár.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /krauː/

Adjective

grá

1. feminine nominative singular positive degree of grár

Irish

Alternative forms

• grádh (superseded)

Etymology

From Old Irish grád, from Proto-Celtic *gʷrātus.

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /ɡɾˠɑː/
  • Homophones: gnáth, gráigh (one Connacht pronunciation)
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ɡɾˠaː/
• (Ulster, genitive) IPA^(key): /ɡɾˠaːj/ (corresponding to the form gráidh)
• (Ulster, verbal noun) IPA^(key): /ɡɾˠaːw/ (as if spelled grádhadh)

Noun

grá m (genitive singular as substantive grá, genitive as verbal noun gráite)

1. love

   Tá grá agam ort. ― I love you.

2. beloved person

   Tá mo ghrá caillte. ― My beloved is gone.

3. (endearing) love

   Cur glaoch orm, a ghrá. ― Call me, my love.

4. charity, beneficence
5. verbal noun of gráigh

Declension

As substantive

Declension of grá

Fourth declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative grá Vocative a ghrá Genitive grá Dative grá

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an grá Genitive an ghrá Dative leis an ngrá don ghrá

As verbal noun

Declension of grá

Irregular

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative grá Vocative a ghrá Genitive gráite Dative grá

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an grá Genitive an ghráite Dative leis an ngrá don ghrá

Derived terms

• féinghrá m (“self-love”)
• folaíonn grá gráin (“love is blind”)
• grá don ailp m (“cupboard love”)
• grá mo chroí m (“my love”)
• grá na hailpe m (“cupboard love”)
• grámhar (“loving”, adjective)
• i ngrá (“in love”)
• scéal grá m (“love story”)
• tá grá agam dhuit (“I love you”)
• tá grá agam ort (“I love you”)
• tírghrá m (“patriotism”)

 

Descendants

• → Scots: gra

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
grá	ghrá	ngrá
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “grá”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 grád?”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Norse

Adjective

grá

1. inflection of grár:
   1. positive degree strong feminine nominative/accusative singular
   2. positive degree strong neuter dative singular
   3. positive degree strong masculine accusative plural
   4. positive degree strong neuter nominative/accusative plural
   5. positive degree weak masculine oblique singular
   6. positive degree weak feminine/neuter singular
   7. positive degree weak nominative/accusative/genitive plural