bláth

See also: blað, blaþ, and blàth

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish bláth, from Proto-Celtic *blātus, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /bˠl̪ˠɑːh/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /bˠlˠɑː/, /bˠl̪ˠɑː/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /bˠlˠaː/, /bˠl̪ˠaː/

Noun

bláth m (genitive singular blátha, nominative plural bláthanna)

1. flower

Declension

Declension of bláth

Third declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative bláth bláthanna Vocative a bhláth a bhláthanna Genitive blátha bláthanna Dative bláth bláthanna

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an bláth na bláthanna Genitive an bhlátha na mbláthanna Dative leis an mbláth don bhláth leis na bláthanna

Synonyms

• plúr

Derived terms

• bláfar (“blooming, beautiful; tidy; demure; florid”, adjective)
• bláthach (“flowery”, adjective)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bláth	bhláth	mbláth
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bláth”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *blātus, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“blossom, flower”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [blaːθ]

Noun

bláth m

1. flower
2. blossom
3. bloom

Inflection

Masculine u-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	bláth	bláthL	bláthae
Vocative	bláth	bláthL	bláthu
Accusative	bláthN	bláthL	bláthu
Genitive	bláthoH, bláthaH	blátho, blátha	bláthaeN
Dative	bláthL	bláthaib	bláthaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: bláth
• Manx: blaa
• Scottish Gaelic: blàth

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
bláth	bláth pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/	mbláth
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “bláth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language