péire

See also: peire, Peire, and pèire

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpʲeːɾʲə/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman paire, from Latin paria (“equals”), neuter plural of pār.

Noun

péire m (genitive singular péire, nominative plural péirí)

1. pair (two similar or identical things)
   • 1906, E. C. Quiggin, “Áindrías an Ime”, in A Dialect of Donegal: Being the Speech of Meenawannia in the Parish of Glenties, page 196:

     Seachtmhain roimhe Shamhain chuaidh an Seónstanach siar ⁊ seacht ngearráin ⁊ péire cliabh air ghach gearrán fá choinne a chuid ime.

     A week before Samhain, Johnstone went back with seven geldings and a pair of panniers on each gelding for his butter.

Declension

Declension of péire

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative péire péirí Vocative a phéire a phéirí Genitive péire péirí Dative péire péirí

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an péire na péirí Genitive an phéire na bpéirí Dative leis an bpéire don phéire leis na péirí

Derived terms

• ordphéire (“couple”) (mathematics)
• péireáil (“pair”, transitive verb)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

péire m (genitive singular péire)

1. milt (fish semen)

Declension

Declension of péire

Fourth declension

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

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an péire Genitive an phéire Dative leis an bpéire don phéire

Etymology 3

From Middle Irish péire, from Anglo-Norman peire, from Vulgar Latin *pira, originally the plural of Latin pirum but reanalyzed as a feminine singular.

Péire péirí.

Noun

péire m (genitive singular péire, nominative plural péirí)

1. pear (fruit)

Declension

Declension of péire

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative péire péirí Vocative a phéire a phéirí Genitive péire péirí Dative péire péirí

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an péire na péirí Genitive an phéire na bpéirí Dative leis an bpéire don phéire leis na péirí

Synonyms

• piorra

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
péire	phéire	bpéire
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “péire”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• “pair”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2024