snaidhm

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish snaidm, from Old Irish naidm, naidmm, with s- taken from snáth (“thread, yarn”) and related terms.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˠn̪ˠiːmʲ/, /sˠn̪ˠĩːmʲ/

Noun

snaidhm f (genitive singular snaidhme or snadhma, nominative plural snaidhmeanna or snadhmanna)

1. knot
2. (construction) tie, brace

Usage notes

This word can apparently also be masculine:

2020 February 22, 3:56 from the start, in Lá Le Mamó nó Daideo‎^[1], season 1, episode 13, Johnny Cloherty (actor), TG4, retrieved 22 October 2023:

Fáisc an snaidhm!

Tighten the knot!

Declension

Declension of snaidhm (second declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative snaidhm snaidhmeanna vocative a shnaidhm a shnaidhmeanna genitive snaidhme snaidhmeanna dative snaidhm snaidhmeanna forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an tsnaidhm na snaidhmeanna genitive na snaidhme na snaidhmeanna dative leis an tsnaidhm don tsnaidhm leis na snaidhmeanna

Variant declension

Declension of snaidhm (third declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative snaidhm snadhmanna vocative a shnaidhm a shnadhmanna genitive snadhma snadhmanna dative snaidhm snadhmanna forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an tsnaidhm na snadhmanna genitive na snadhma na snadhmanna dative leis an tsnaidhm don tsnaidhm leis na snadhmanna

Verb

snaidhm (present analytic snaidhmeann, future analytic snaidhmfidh, verbal noun snaidhmeadh, past participle snaidhmthe)

1. to knot
2. to bind, tie, entwine
3. to join, unite
4. (anatomy) to knit

Conjugation

Conjugation of snaidhm (first conjugation – A)

indicative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	snaidhmim	snaidhmeann tú; snaidhmir†	snaidhmeann sé, sí	snaidhmimid; snaidhmeann muid	snaidhmeann sibh	snaidhmeann siad; snaidhmid†	a shnaidhmeann; a shnaidhmeas	snaidhmtear
past	shnaidhm mé; shnaidhmeas	shnaidhm tú; shnaidhmis	shnaidhm sé, sí	shnaidhmeamar; shnaidhm muid	shnaidhm sibh; shnaidhmeabhair	shnaidhm siad; shnaidhmeadar	a shnaidhm	snaidhmeadh
past habitual	shnaidhminn / snaidhminn‡	shnaidhmteá / snaidhmteá‡	shnaidhmeadh sé, sí / snaidhmeadh sé, sí‡	shnaidhmimis; shnaidhmeadh muid / snaidhmimis‡; snaidhmeadh muid‡	shnaidhmeadh sibh / snaidhmeadh sibh‡	shnaidhmidís; shnaidhmeadh siad / snaidhmidís‡; snaidhmeadh siad‡	a shnaidhmeadh	shnaidhmtí / snaidhmtí‡
	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	snaidhmfidh mé; snaidhmfead	snaidhmfidh tú; snaidhmfir†	snaidhmfidh sé, sí	snaidhmfimid; snaidhmfidh muid	snaidhmfidh sibh	snaidhmfidh siad; snaidhmfid†	a shnaidhmfidh; a shnaidhmfeas	snaidhmfear
conditional	shnaidhmfinn / snaidhmfinn‡	shnaidhmfeá / snaidhmfeá‡	shnaidhmfeadh sé, sí / snaidhmfeadh sé, sí‡	shnaidhmfimis; shnaidhmfeadh muid / snaidhmfimis‡; snaidhmfeadh muid‡	shnaidhmfeadh sibh / snaidhmfeadh sibh‡	shnaidhmfidís; shnaidhmfeadh siad / snaidhmfidís‡; snaidhmfeadh siad‡	a shnaidhmfeadh	shnaidhmfí / snaidhmfí‡
subjunctive	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	go snaidhme mé; go snaidhmead†	go snaidhme tú; go snaidhmir†	go snaidhme sé, sí	go snaidhmimid; go snaidhme muid	go snaidhme sibh	go snaidhme siad; go snaidhmid†	—	go snaidhmtear
past	dá snaidhminn	dá snaidhmteá	dá snaidhmeadh sé, sí	dá snaidhmimis; dá snaidhmeadh muid	dá snaidhmeadh sibh	dá snaidhmidís; dá snaidhmeadh siad	—	dá snaidhmtí
imperative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
—	snaidhmim	snaidhm	snaidhmeadh sé, sí	snaidhmimis	snaidhmigí; snaidhmidh†	snaidhmidís	—	snaidhmtear
past participle	snaidhmthe
verbal noun	snaidhmeadh

^† archaic or dialect form
^‡ dependent form

Mutation

Mutated forms of snaidhm

radical	lenition	eclipsis
snaidhm	shnaidhm after an, tsnaidhm	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

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “snaiḋm; snaiḋmim”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 1072; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “snaidhm”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• snaim, snaoim

Etymology

From Middle Irish snaidm, from Old Irish naidm, naidmm.

Pronunciation

• (most of Lewis, Harris, Skye, Wester Ross) IPA^(key): /s̪n̪ˠãĩm/, /s̪nãĩm/
• (Bernera, Uig) IPA^(key): /s̪n̪ˠɛ̃ːm/
• (Uist, Barra, Tiree) IPA^(key): /s̪n̪ˠɤ̃ĩm/, /s̪n̪ˠũĩm/
• (Islay) IPA^(key): /s̪n̪ˠʏːm/ [s̪n̪ˠø̞ːm̥]

Noun

snaidhm m (genitive singular snaidhm, plural snaidhmean or snaidhmeannan)

1. knot

Derived terms

• cuir snaidhm air

Mutation

Mutation of snaidhm

radical	lenition
snaidhm	shnaidhm after "an", t-snaidhm

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

Further reading

• Cathair Ó Dochartaigh, editor (1994), Survey of the Gaelic Dialects of Scotland, volume V, Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, pages 208-209