scamall

Irish

scamaill

Etymology

From a Hiberno-Latin diminutive of Latin squama (“animal scale”). The semantic evolution would be something like "scale" > "film, membrane" (whence also the meaning "webbing") > "eye occlusion" > "cloud".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsˠkamˠəl̪ˠ/

Noun

scamall m (genitive singular scamaill, nominative plural scamaill)

1. (weather) cloud

   Synonym: néal

2. web (between toes)

Declension

Declension of scamall

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative scamall scamaill Vocative a scamaill a scamalla Genitive scamaill scamall Dative scamall scamaill

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an scamall na scamaill Genitive an scamaill na scamall Dative leis an scamall don scamall leis na scamaill

Derived terms

• scamallach (“cloudy, clouded; webbed, palmate”, adjective)
• scamallacht f (“cloudiness”)
• scamallach m (“web-footed bird, palmiped”)
• scamallaigh (“cloud (over), mist, obscure”, verb)

 

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “scamall”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “scamall”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “scamall”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024