máthair

See also: màthair and Màthair

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish máthir, from Proto-Celtic *mātīr, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmˠɑːhəɾʲ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈmˠɑːɾʲ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈmˠɑ̃hɪɾʲ/

Noun

máthair f (genitive singular máthar, nominative plural máithreacha)

1. mother

   Tá Dia láidir agus máthair mhaith aige.

   God is strong and He has a good mother.

Declension

Declension of máthair

Fifth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative máthair máithreacha Vocative a mháthair a mháithreacha Genitive máthar máithreacha Dative máthair máithreacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an mháthair na máithreacha Genitive na máthar na máithreacha Dative leis an máthair don mháthair leis na máithreacha

Hypernyms

• tuismitheoir (“parent”)

Coordinate terms

• athair (“father”)
• iníon (“daughter”)
• mac (“son”)

Derived terms

• leasmháthair (“stepmother”)
• máithrigh (“mother, bear; foster”, verb)
• máthair shúigh (“squid”)
• máthairab (“abbess”)
• máthairchlár (“motherboard”)
• máthairtheanga (“mother tongue”)
• ríonmháthair (“queen mother”)
• seanmháthair (“grandmother”)

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
máthair	mháthair	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “máthair”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “máthair”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

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Old Irish

Noun

máthair f (genitive máthar, nominative plural máithir)

1. Alternative spelling of máthir

Mutation

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