muir

See also: Muir

English

Noun

muir (plural muirs)

1. (especially Scotland, Northern England) A moor.
   • 1851, George Ross, Leading Cases in the Law of Scotland, page 446:

     […] Mr. Cuming brought a declarator of common property in, and division of, the muirs in question. Pleaded for the Pursuer.—The pursuer's special infestment in the muirs as parts of the barony of Coxtoun excluded the defender, […]

   • 1852, Thomas Doubleday, The Coquet-Dale Fishing Songs, page 96:

     […] and Coquet's streams are glittrin, as they rin frae muir to main […]

   • 1896, Anthony Whitehead, Legends of Westmorland and Other Poems: With Notes, page 24:

     Tho' four lang miles was he fra heayme, / Besides a muir to cross, / By haunted cairns an boggle steaynes, […]

Irish

Etymology

PIE word
*móri

From Old Irish muir, from Proto-Celtic *mori (compare Welsh môr), from Proto-Indo-European *móri (compare Latin mare, English mere, German Meer, Dutch meer).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mˠɪɾʲ/

Noun

muir f (genitive singular mara, nominative plural mara)

1. sea

   Synonym: farraige

   Ní fhanann muir le fear sotail. (proverb)

   Time and tide wait for no man.

   (literally, “The sea doesn’t wait for an arrogant man.”)

2. (astronomy) mare

Declension

Declension of muir (third declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative muir mara vocative a mhuir a mhara genitive mara mara dative muir mara forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an mhuir na mara genitive na mara na mara dative leis an muir don mhuir leis na mara

Derived terms

• ainmhí mara (“sea-animal”)
• amharc mara (“seascape”)
• anfa mara (“storm at sea”)
• aoibhneas mara agus tíre (“the beauty, enchantment, of sea and land”)
• ar mhuir na beatha (“on the sea of life”)
• ar muir (“at sea; on sea”)
• ar muir agus ar tír (“on sea and land”)
• ascaill mhara (“an arm of the sea”)
• barr láin mhara (“high tide; high-water mark”)
• basán mara (“bass”)
• bealach mara (“sea route”)
• beatha mhara (“plankton”)
• bláth mara (“plumose (sea-)anemone”)
• bó mhara (“sea-cow, manatee”)
• caise mhara (“tidal race”)
• cáitheadh mara (“spindrift”)
• caonach mara (“sea moss”)
• caoróg mhara (“sea pink”)
• cat mara (“catfish; calamity”)
• cnuasach mara agus tíre (“food gathered from sea and land”)
• cogadh mara (“naval war(fare)”)
• coireán mara (“sea campion”)
• comhrac mara (“sea-fight”)
• corr mhara (“nestling of gannet”)
• crosóg mhara (“starfish”)
• cuán mara (“sea-urchin”)
• de mhuir agus de thír (“by sea and land”)
• dobhrán mara (“sea otter”)
• doingean mara (“sea bass”)
• dord mara (“murmur of sea”)
• dreancaid mhara (“sand-hopper”)
• dul thar muir (“to go overseas”)
• éalú mara agus trá (“ebb and flow”)
• éan mara (“seabird”)
• éanlaith mhara (“sea fowl”)
• eascann mhara (“conger eel”)
• feadóg mhara (“(species of) sandpiper”)
• féar mara (“seagrass”)
• feighlí mara (“coast watcher, coastguard”)
• fiach mara (“cormorant”)
• foghlaí mara (“pirate”)
• fomhuireán (“submarine”)
• gaoth mhara (“sea-wind”)
• géag den mhuir (“arm of the sea”)
• glac mhara (“inlet of sea, creek”)
• glaoch na mara (“the call of the sea”)
• glas (na) mara (“sea-green”)
• gluaiseacht na mara (“the movement of the sea”)
• grinneall na mara (“the bottom of the sea”)
• iar muir (“over sea”)
• iasc mara (“sea-fish”)
• imeall mara (“margin of sea”)
• iolar mara (“white-tailed eagle, sea eagle, erne”)
• lán mara (“(flood) tide; high tide”)
• lán mara rabharta (“spring tide (at the full)”)
• lao mara (“seal, sea calf”)
• leac mhara (“flat-topped rock in seabed”)
• léibheann mara (“open expanse of sea”)
• long mhara (“sea-going ship”)
• luchóg mhara (“sea-mouse”)
• maighdean mhara (“mermaid”)
• meacan mara (“sea-radish”)
• méan mara (“sea-opening, gulf”)
• Meánmhuir (“Mediterranean Sea”)
• méara mara (“Alcyonium palmatum”)
• meathán mara (“sea rush”)
• meirleach (na) mara (“skua”)
• míolta mara agus tíre (“creatures of sea and land”)
• monghar na mara (“the roar of the sea”)
• mórmhuir (“open sea”)
• muc mhara (“porpoise”)
• Muir Bhailt (“Baltic Sea”)
• Muir Bhán (“White Sea”)
• muir bhraonach (“ocean flood, wide ocean”)
• Muir Bhuí (“Yellow Sea”)
• Muir Chaisp (“Caspian Sea”)
• Muir Dhubh (“Black Sea”)
• Muir Éireann
• muir ilchríochach (“epeiric sea”)
• muir intíre (“inland, enclosed, sea”)
• muir lonn (“angry sea”)
• Muir Mharbh (“Dead Sea”)
• Muir Mheann (“Irish Sea”)
• muir mhór (“open sea, ocean”)
• Muir Rua (“Red Sea”)
• muir scairbhe (“epicontinental sea”)
• muir théachta (“frozen sea; vast amount”)
• Muir Theas (“South Sea”)
• Muir Thuaidh (“North Sea”)
• muirbhealach (“sea route, seaway”)
• muirbhréid (“dreadnought, fearnought”)
• muirbhrúcht (“tidal wave; (sea) eruption; invasion (by sea)”)
• muirchairt (“sea-chart”)
• muirchath (“sea battle, naval engagement”)
• muirchumhacht (“sea-power”)
• muirchur (“(bit of) jetsam”)
• muirdhreach (“seascape”)
• muireitleán (“seaplane”)
• muireolaí (“oceanographer”)
• muireolaíocht (“oceanography”)
• muirgha (“harpoon”)
• muirghalar (“sea-sickness”)
• muirghéag (“arm of the sea”)
• muirghlas (“sea-green”)
• muirí (“marine, maritime”)
• muiriathrán
• muiricín (“sea poacher, pogge”)
• muirín (“scallop”)
• muirmhíle (“knot”)
• muirmhúr (“breakwater, mole”)
• muiroighear (“sea-ice”)
• muirphictiúr (“seascape”)
• muirshaothrú (“mariculture”)
• murlach mara (“halcyon, kingfisher”)
• nathair mhara
• nimfeach mhara (“sea-nymph, nereid”)
• Oileáin Mhuir nIocht (“Channel Islands”)
• oileán mara (“sea-girt island”)
• ollphéist mhara (“sea-serpent”)
• pas mara (“sea-pass”)
• pearóid mhara (“parrotfish, scarus”)
• péist mhara (“sea-serpent”)
• planda mara (“sea-plant”)
• radharc mara (“seascape”)
• raic mhara (“wreck of the sea; flotsam and jetsam”)
• rith mara (“sea-flow; rush of tide”)
• sábh mara (“sawfish”)
• saoiste mara (“long swelling wave, roller”)
• scian mhara (“razor shell, (shell of) razor-clam”)
• seabhac mara (“sea-hawk, skua”)
• seol mara (“tidal motion of sea”)
• sionnach mara (“thresher shark”)
• slata mara (“sea-rods”)
• sléibhte mara (“mountainous seas”)
• sliogán mara (“scallop, seashell”)
• snáth mara (“(line of seaweed, etc., indicating) high-water mark”)
• snáthaid mhara (“needle-fish, pipe-fish”)
• spéirlint mhara (“garfish”)
• thar muir (“over, beyond, the sea”)
• toireasc mara (“saw-fish”)
• tóithíní muca mara (“porpoises”)
• tonn mhara (“ocean wave”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of muir

radical	lenition	eclipsis
muir	mhuir	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “muir”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “muir”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “muir”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025

Manx

Noun

muir f (genitive singular marrey, plural muiraghyn)

1. Alternative form of mooir

Mutation

Mutation of muir

radical	lenition	eclipsis
muir	vuir	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Manx.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *mori.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [murʲ]

Noun

muir n (genitive moro or mora, nominative plural muire)

1. sea
   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 81^a4

     inna fudumnai in moro

     the depths of the sea

   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 126^a4

     arna té .i. féith forsna muire

     so that it may not go, i.e. a calm over the seas

   • c. 808, Félire Oengusso, June 21; republished as Whitley Stokes, transl., Félire Óengusso Céli Dé: The Martyrology of Oengus the Culdee, Harrison & Sons, 1905:

     Ainle sochla slúagach, fris mbrúchta muir mílach,

     Ainle the famous and hostful, against whom the animal-filled sea bursts forth,

Inflection

Neuter i-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	muirN	muirN	muireL
vocative	muirN	muirN	muireL
accusative	muirN	muirN	muireL
genitive	moroH, moraH	moroH, moraH	muireN
dative	muirL	muirib	muirib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

• muirbolc (“inlet”)
• mucc mora (“dolphin”)
• Muir Robur (“the Red Sea”)

Descendants

• Middle Irish: muir
  • Irish: muir
  • Manx: mooir
  • Scottish Gaelic: muir

Mutation

Mutation of muir

radical	lenition	nasalization
muir also mmuir after a proclitic ending in a vowel	muir pronounced with /β̃(ʲ)-/	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

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

Scots

Alternative forms

• mure, more, mor, moir
• mair (Southern Scots)

Etymology

From Middle English more, from Old English mōr, from Proto-Germanic *mōraz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [møːr], [myːr], [meːr], [miːr], [mjuːr]

Noun

muir (plural muirs)

1. moor
   • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:

     This man, so gallant and braw, would never be for her; doubtless the fine suit and the capering horse were for Joan o' the Croft's pleasure. And he, in turn, when he remarked her wan cheeks and dowie eyes, had mind to what the dark man said on the muir, and saw in her a maid sworn to no mortal love.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• muir cheeper
• muir foul
• Muir of Ord
• muir-deuk
• muirbaund
• muirburn

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

PIE word
*móri

From Old Irish muir, from Proto-Celtic *mori (compare Welsh môr), from Proto-Indo-European *móri (compare Latin mare, English mere, German Meer, Dutch meer).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /muɾʲ/
• (Lewis) IPA^(key): [mʉð]

Noun

muir m or f (genitive singular mara, plural marannan)

1. sea, ocean

   Lean mi thar na mara thu. ― I followed thee over the sea.

   air muir 's air tìr ― by sea and by land

2. wave
3. pl large billows
4. f worry, discomposure, mental suffering

   Nach ann air a tha a' mhuir an diugh! ― How troubled he is today!

   Tha muir ort an diugh, a Dhòmhnaill. ― You are in the dolours today, Donald.

Usage notes

• The nominative can be either masculine or feminine, the genitive is usually feminine.
• muir and cuan are common words for sea and ocean respectively. fairge, on the other hand, is a poetic term that implies the rough sea.

Declension

Declension of muir (type IVa feminine noun)

indefinite
	singular	plural
nominative	muir	marannan
genitive	mara	mharannan
dative	muir	marannan; muiribh✝
definite
	singular	plural
nominative	(a') mhuir	(na) marannan
genitive	(na) mara	(nam) marannan
dative	(a') mhuir	(na) marannan; muiribh✝
vocative	mhuir	mhara; mharannan

^✝ obsolete form, used until the 19th century

Synonyms

• (sea, ocean): cuan, fairge

Derived terms

• àirde-mara f (“sea level”)
• bu dual do dh'isean an ròin a dhol chun na mara (“like father, like son”)
• cathadh-mara m (“spindrift”)
• cluas-mhara (“abalone”)
• cumhachd mara m or f (“tidal energy”)
• each-mara m (“walrus”)
• frith-mhuir f (“saltwater loch”)
• innis-mhuir f (“archipelago”)
• iolair-mhara f (“sea eagle”)
• ìsle-mhara (“low tide”)
• làn-mara m (“high tide”)
• maighdeann-mhara f (“mermaid, sea-nymph”)
• mìle-mara m (“nautical mile; knot”)
• muc-mhara f (“whale”)
• Muir a Tuath f (“North Sea”)
• Muir Lochlainn f (“North Sea”)
• Muir Mheadhanach f (“Mediterranean Sea”)
• muir-làn m (“high tide”)
• muir-thìreach (“amphibious”, adjective)
• muir-thìreach m (“amphibian”)
• turas-mara m (“sea voyage”)

Mutation

Mutation of muir

radical	lenition
muir	mhuir

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “muir”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN