síl

See also: Appendix:Variations of "sil"

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse síl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sʊiːl/
• Rhymes: -ʊiːl

Noun

síl n (genitive singular síls, plural síl)

1. trout

Declension

n3	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	síl	sílið	síl	sílini
accusative	síl	sílið	síl	sílini
dative	síli	sílinum	sílum	sílunum
genitive	síls	sílsins	síla	sílanna

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish saílid; cognate with Scottish Gaelic saoil.

Alternative forms

• saoil

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃiːlʲ/
• (Munster, also) IPA^(key): /sˠiːlʲ/ (corresponding to the form saoil)

Verb

síl (present analytic síleann, future analytic sílfidh, verbal noun síleadh, past participle sílte)

1. (ambitransitive) to think, consider
2. (transitive) to expect, intend

Conjugation

conjugation of síl (first conjugation – A)

verbal noun	síleadh
past participle	sílte
tense	singular			plural			relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative
present	sílim	síleann tú; sílir†	síleann sé, sí	sílimid	síleann sibh	síleann siad; sílid†	a shíleann; a shíleas / a síleann*	síltear
past	shíl mé; shíleas	shíl tú; shílis	shíl sé, sí	shíleamar; shíl muid	shíl sibh; shíleabhair	shíl siad; shíleadar	a shíl / ar shíl*	síleadh
past habitual	shílinn / sílinn‡‡	shílteá / sílteᇇ	shíleadh sé, sí / síleadh sé, s퇇	shílimis; shíleadh muid / sílimis‡‡; síleadh muid‡‡	shíleadh sibh / síleadh sibh‡‡	shílidís; shíleadh siad / sílidís‡‡; síleadh siad‡‡	a shíleadh / a síleadh*	shíltí / sílt퇇
future	sílfidh mé; sílfead	sílfidh tú; sílfir†	sílfidh sé, sí	sílfimid; sílfidh muid	sílfidh sibh	sílfidh siad; sílfid†	a shílfidh; a shílfeas / a sílfidh*	sílfear
conditional	shílfinn / sílfinn‡‡	shílfeá / sílfeᇇ	shílfeadh sé, sí / sílfeadh sé, s퇇	shílfimis; shílfeadh muid / sílfimis‡‡; sílfeadh muid‡‡	shílfeadh sibh / sílfeadh sibh‡‡	shílfidís; shílfeadh siad / sílfidís‡‡; sílfeadh siad‡‡	a shílfeadh / a sílfeadh*	shílfí / sílf퇇
subjunctive
present	go síle mé; go sílead†	go síle tú; go sílir†	go síle sé, sí	go sílimid; go síle muid	go síle sibh	go síle siad; go sílid†	—	go síltear
past	dá sílinn	dá sílteá	dá síleadh sé, sí	dá sílimis; dá síleadh muid	dá síleadh sibh	dá sílidís; dá síleadh siad	—	dá síltí
imperative
–	sílim	síl	síleadh sé, sí	sílimis	síligí; sílidh†	sílidís	—	síltear

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

• Alternative verbal noun: síleachtáil (Cois Fharraige)

Synonyms

• ceap
• smaoinigh

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃiːlʲ/

Noun

síl m

1. vocative/genitive singular of síol

Mutation

Mutated forms of síl

radical	lenition	eclipsis
síl	shíl after an, tsíl	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), “síl”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “sílim”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 640
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959), “sílim”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “síl”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *sīlom (compare Welsh hil), from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- (“to sow”) (compare Latin sēmen (“seed”), Old English sāwan (“to sow”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsʲiːl/ (most forms)
• IPA^(key): /ˈsʲiːlʲ/ (gen. sg.)

Noun

síl m or n

1. (botany, agriculture) seed
2. cause, origin
3. (biology) semen
4. race, progeny, descendants; offspring, breed

Inflection

Neuter o-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	sílN	sílN	sílL, síla
vocative	sílN	sílN	sílL, síla
accusative	sílN	sílN	sílL, síla
genitive	sílL	síl	sílN
dative	sílL	sílaib	sílaib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

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

Derived terms

• sílach (“seed”)
• sílaid (“to sow; sower”)
• sílaige (“disseminator”)
• sílaigidir (“to sow”)
• sílaigthid (“sower”)
• sílem (“sower”)
• sílne (“seminal fluid, seed, sperm”)

Descendants

• Irish: síol
• Manx: sheel
• Scottish Gaelic: sìol

Mutation

Mutation of síl

radical	lenition	nasalization
síl	ṡíl	síl

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), “síl”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *sīlą. Compare Old Norse síld.

Noun

síl n

1. herring

Descendants

• see *sīlą

Further reading

• Richard Cleasby; Guðbrandur Vigfússon (1874), “síl”, in An Icelandic-English Dictionary, 1st edition, Oxford: Oxford Clarendon Press
• Gerhard Köbler (2014), “Altnordisches Wörterbuch [Old Norse dictionary]”, in https://koeblergerhard.de (in German), 4th edition