leth

See also: leð, leþ, and leth-

Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *laïθ, borrowed from Latin lac, lactis.

Noun

leth m

1. milk

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Middle English

Noun

leth (plural leþes)

1. Alternative form of lyth

References

• “lith (n.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-05.

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Old Irish

Etymology

From Primitive Irish *ᚂᚓᚈᚐᚄ (letas), from Proto-Celtic *letos, perhaps cognate with Latin latus (“side”), or from Proto-Celtic *ɸletos.

Celtic cognates include Welsh lled (“breadth, width, half”), Middle Breton let, led (“large”), and Cornish les.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l͈ʲeθ/

Noun

leth n (genitive leith or leithe, nominative plural leth or leithe)

1. half
2. direction
3. side

Declension

Especially in meaning "half":

Neuter o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	lethN	lethN	lethL
Vocative	lethN	lethN	lethL
Accusative	lethN	lethN	lethL
Genitive	leithL	leth	lethN
Dative	leuthL	lethaib	lethaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Especially in meaning "side":

Neuter s-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	lethN	lethN	leitheL
Vocative	lethN	lethN	leitheL
Accusative	lethN	lethN	leitheL
Genitive	leitheL	leithe	leitheN
Dative	leithL	leithib	leithib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: leath
• Manx: lieh
• Scottish Gaelic: leth

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
leth also lleth after a proclitic ending in a vowel	leth pronounced with /l(ʲ)-/	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

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

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Old Saxon

Alternative forms

• lēþ

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *laiþaz.

Noun

lēth n

1. an evil person or thing

Descendants

• Middle Low German: lêt, leit
  • Low German:
    • Westphalian:

      Münsterländisch: leed

      Westmünsterländisch: leed

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Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish leth, from Proto-Celtic *letos, perhaps cognate with Latin latus (“side”), or from Proto-Celtic *ɸletos.

Celtic cognates include Welsh lled (“breadth, width, half”), Middle Breton let, led (“large”), and Cornish les.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʎeh], /ʎe/

Numeral

leth

1. half

Derived terms

• air leth (“separate/separately”)
• às leth (“on behalf of”)
• gu leth (“and a half”)
• leth mar leth (“half and half”)

Related terms

• leth-

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “leth”, 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), “leth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language