srath

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish srath (“grassland”), from Proto-Celtic *stratos (“valley”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sˠɾˠa(h)/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /sˠɾˠa/, [ʂ(ɽ)a]

Noun

srath m (genitive singular sratha, nominative plural sratha)

1. holm (rich flat land near a river), bottom (low-lying land near a river with alluvial soil)
2. river valley

Declension

Declension of srath (third declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative srath sratha vocative a shrath a shratha genitive sratha srath dative srath sratha forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an srath na sratha genitive an tsratha na srath dative leis an srath don srath leis na sratha

Derived terms

• Srath Bán (“Strabane”)
• srathach

Mutation

Mutated forms of srath

radical	lenition	eclipsis
srath	shrath after an, tsrath	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), “srath”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 1110; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “srath”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *stratos (“valley”), from Proto-Indo-European *str̥h₃tós (“stretched, spread”), from Proto-Indo-European *sterh₃- (“to spread, extend, stretch out”).

Noun

srath m

1. grass, sward

Descendants

• Irish: srath
• Manx: strah
• Scottish Gaelic: srath
  • → English: strath

Mutation

Mutation of srath

radical	lenition	nasalization
srath	ṡrath	srath

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

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• (northern dialects) IPA^(key): /s̪t̪ɾa(h)/
• (Argyll, Perthshire) IPA^(key): /s̪ɾa/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish srath (“grassland”), from Proto-Celtic *stratos (“valley”). Probably influenced in meaning by a Brythonic/Pictish cognate, compare Welsh ystrad (“river valley”).

Noun

srath m (genitive singular sratha, plural srathan)

1. wide, flat river valley; strath
2. low-lying or flat part of a valley district, farm or country, in contrast to its hilly ground
3. meadow
4. dell
5. (rare) marshy ground
6. plain beside a river

Derived terms

• srathan
• Srath Chluaidh

Descendants

• → English: strath

Etymology 2

Cognate with Irish sraith f (“imposition, rate, tax”). The Dictionary of the Irish Language assigns this meaning to Old Irish srath (“grass, sward”), but Old Irish sreth (“series, arrangement”) may be more likely.

Noun

srath m (genitive singular sraith, plural srathan)

1. tax, fine, amercement

Mutation

Mutation of srath

radical	lenition
srath	shrath after "an", t-srath

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 242-243